Death City Police
by Charlotte-san
Summary: AU. Maka Albarn is the Death City Chief of Police's daughter. Her life takes a very different turn however when she's targeted by a former detective named Asura. Soul Eater Evans is assigned to watch out for Maka, and as the two race to stop Asura and try not to kill each other, they might find the spare time to fall in love. Rated T for later chapters and swearing.
1. Prologue

_Here's my second Soul Eater fanfic, but I'm counting it as my first seeing as how the other one is written rather poorly and requires MAJOR work. Important notes for this story, umm well it's AU for starters, but based off of the anime to allow for the ending to actually end and not go on, plus some of the details work better for this story. If you haven't seen the anime then I guess that the plot will seem extremely AU. The brewing romance between Soul and Maka is going to be a little slow rising, but this IS going to be a chapter story. Expect a LOT of Maka and Black*Star brother/sister relationship to be shown here. Probably OOC but hey, it's not like I OWN this and can mold the character's personalities however I want._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater, but I DO own my very own laptop on which I watch/read Soul Eater and write fanfics._

* * *

Maka Albarn hummed along to the song on the radio as she got ready to take a shower. It sounded like all of the other pop songs nowadays, but the tune was catchy even if the lyrics made next to no sense. She released her hair from the two twin pigtails she wore it in during the day then slipped into the shower. The hot water felt great and did wonders to release the built up tension that just didn't seem to go away at all today. With a groan, she tried to finish as fast as she could, knowing her Papa would freak out if she didn't answer the door at his first knock.

He was only 32, but her Papa, Spirit Albarn, was the Chief of Police and one of the most trusted people that the Mayor of Death City, Lord Death, kept close to him. Even Maka was unable to find out what had caused the mayor to give her father the title of Chief of Police, but he handled it well considering his age and, in Maka's opinion, questionable mental stability. Her parents were only 18 when she was born and their relationship was fairly new, so it was no shock when she was only six and her parents divorced each other. Her mother had discovered her father had been going to the bar with the other detectives and flirting with everything that had breasts. After the divorce her mother went and traveled the world while her Papa fell deeper into his womanizing ways, until Maka told him she was moving out. Then he shaped up (a bit) and began throwing himself back into work and being a father. When her mother had divorced him he had taken the "father" role to the extreme on many occasions, and it often embarassed Maka.

Today, however, had been a long day and now she was being forced by her Papa to go out to a late dinner with him. Actually, she remembered, it was a celebration for the new detective at the bar the precinct frequented called Chupa Cabra's. She could get away with her usual miniskirt and vest combo, but Liz was almost guaranteed to be there, so Maka would have to put on something else that would undoubtedly cause her father to squeal over her "cuteness."

Sighing at the too-short of shower, Maka snuck her arm out from between the curtain and the wall and grabbed her towel, efficiently drying herself off then wrapping it around herself until she could go and grab her clothes. She opened the curtain then stepped out, still humming off-key to the nameless tune, when she noticed the blood on the wall, drawn into a symbol she knew too well. Immediately Maka looked around for any sign of an intruder with her sense perked up, and saw the bathroom window open. She leaned against the bathroom wall for support, trying to slow down her breathing and heartbeat which had sped up at the sight of that hated symbol, once again painted in blood.

She remembered the symbol well in her mind, the first time her father had taken out to a crime scene when she was twelve and seriously considering becoming a police detective like the people she grew up around. It was the double murder of a young couple with a very old knife, unidentifiable due to its age, and on the wall with their blood, an eye had been painted. It was drawn oddly at a vertical angle, and the detectives were surprised when it was Maka who recognized it as reminiscent of the Third Eye of Shiva_(1)_. She had been reading a book on chakra for fun having been curious on the topic and had just read about Shiva's Third Eye the day before. Many cultures associated the third eye to be a part of a person's chakra and a symbol seers or people who had a sense of enlightenment on spiritual or personal significance as well as the ability of precognition and clairvoyance.

Maka's observation seemed to be close to the mark because the next day they'd gotten a letter from the mysterious killer, once again written in blood, declaring his new reign of terror. The killer had talked about how the balance of things in Death City was wrong, and he had finally learned that. It had been signed Asura, and Maka would always remember the silence that came over the precinct. Asura had once been a detective for Death City, she'd learned later, and it was because of his training there that the police had been unable to catch him. He killed four more people before disappearing off the face of the planet. The training Asura had before disappearing allowed him to vanish into thin air, and even with the technology today they couldn't find him, he had completely disappeared until now.

_He's back,_ Maka thought, completely terrified at this point, _this has to be a mistake, there's no way Asura would even know who I am. I'm one student at the DWMA out of the one hundred and fifty people in my graduating class alone. He's been missing for years so why is he striking now? Why me? His MO is changing, he never stalked his victims like this before, why give me the warning?_

_ Oh my god..._

* * *

_And that was the prologue (It's meant to be short)! I'll attempt to write and post as soon as I can, but with my extracurricular activities my life gets hectic. I'm aiming for the first chapter to be posted by Tuesday hopefully. Please review, and enjoy the story._

_ (1) The Third Eye of Shiva- I had actually looked this up. It looks pretty much exactly the same as the eye on Asura's forehead. So I kinda just rolled with it seeing as how it actually does mean the person with the marking has had a revelation of sorts, or claims to have the ability of precognition and Asura had his "vision" while entrapped._

_PROLOGUE EDITED! Just thought you all should know..._

_That's all for now,_

_-Charlotte._


	2. Chapter 1

_Here's the first real chapter of the story, enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or its characters, and I'm not profiting from this although I sure as hell wish I was._

* * *

Maka leaned against the wall for an indeterminable amount of time, sinking to the floor at some point, until she dully heard her father pounding on the door to her apartment. She tried to get up, but then found out she must be suffering from shock because the moment she took on her full weight she collapsed against the wall again. She was able to hear a crash as her father broke down first the front door then the bathroom door, entering with his gun drawn and acting serious for once.

"Maka… MAKA?!" Her father quickly knelt down next to Maka who was now sitting up on the floor still dazed, "Maka, wha-" Finally he seemed to notice the symbol on the wall. He walked over to it, inspecting it to make sure that the eye wasn't the work of a copycat. The results he got must not have been what he wanted, because he paled slightly before whipping out his cell phone, "Black*Star, if you know what's good for you you'll be at Maka's apartment in five minutes or less. Bring Soul with you- No, it's not me that needs help, it's Maka… Black*Star?"

Even in her dazed stupor Maka heard the click of Black*Star hanging up his phone after yelling loudly to whoever Soul was to, "Follow your God to help one of his most special minions!" If she wasn't trying to steady her heartbeat Maka probably would have rolled her eyes and complain about Black*Star's God complex.

"Who's Soul?" She asked after a minute. Her father had his watch out and had a finger pressed to her wrist to check her pulse and make she wasn't going into shock. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but the only Soul she knew was a guy Black*Star graduated with that she'd only met once. It couldn't have been him though, because that Soul was a piano prodigy, not someone to do the nitty gritty work police did.

"The new detective we were going to have a party for tonight, although after this I have a feeling it'll be postponed for a while. Now, I need you to-" Her papa was cut off by shouting from the doorway of Maka's apartment and, in a second flat a blue-haired streak was running into the room, the sounds of another person entering behind him. Maka looked up to see Black*Star, in his signature shorts and shirt, his hair styled to even look like the "great star he was." The tattoo on his left shoulder stood out in stark contrast on his skin, and Maka remembered Tsubaki and her trying to convince him to wait to get the tattoo. He was eighteen and had just graduated, that was four years ago and now at twenty-two the star really meant something to him.

"Wow, that was fast even for you," Maka said, looking up at the man from her position on the floor.

"Maka?" Black*Star asked, cocking his head to one side, "You alright…" He trailed off as he saw the symbol on the wall. From where she was sitting Maka could see his fists ball up and jaw clench; Black*Star's adoptive parents were former detectives as well, now teaching at the Police Academy they called Shibusen, so Black*Star was every bit as aware of what the symbol meant as Maka did. He growled in anger and frustration before looking at the father and daughter, "I take it you want me to bring Maka to the precinct for a while?"

"Yeah," Spirit agreed, "As soon as you get back to the precinct then I need you to send a couple uniforms down here to canvas the area. Octopus Head-"

"Soul Eater Chief Perv, not octopus head," The man Maka couldn't quite see ground out. His voice was deep, and had almost a musical quality to it even when annoyed by her father.

"Whatever. You stay with Black*Star while he brings Maka to the precinct. Maka, you alright with that?" Her father looked at her, and even though he was trying to remain serious, the overprotective father in him was coming out. He seemed to be bursting with questions and looked like he wanted to lock Maka up and never let her out again, but was forcing his wants aside for her sake.

"Perfectly fine with me. Can I at least grab some clothes before leaving? I'd appreciate not having to walk around the precinct in a towel and they never have any spare sweats in my size," Maka replied getting up shakily. Black*Star immediately helped her and she gave him an appreciative smile. She walked out of the bathroom and past an old man with white hair examining a picture on the wall. Huh, she could have sworn that Black*Star's partner had sounded young. Shaking her head, she walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and an empty backpack, then over to her dresser and picked out a plain green t-shirt. She made sure none of the males were peaking before dressing up underneath her towel, a skill she'd learned from Patty.

"Blair and Liz could give you some of the clothes from their department," Her father said, and Maka rolled her eyes at the mention of the two females. Blair was her father's on-again-off-again girlfriend and Maka's mother figure, while Liz was Blair's partner and one of Maka's friend's sister. Actually Maka and the two sister were all close friends now that she thought about it.

"Hey, who's this chick and… other person in the picture with you?" The man named Soul asked from behind her. She looked back at him and was surprised to find that, no, he wasn't old but just had white hair. He had lightly tanned skin and crimson eyes, like rubies. They had a lazy quality to them and an underlying glint of humor just under a layer of indifference. He was a man who had learned to control his emotions even though he only looked a few years older than Maka's eighteen. He looked familiar, almost like he could be the Soul Black*Star used to hang out with.

"That's Patty and Chrona. Patty is Liz's sister and Chrona's mom was the school's nurse before she was fired. Kid should have been in the picture, but he thought he looked too asymmetrical even though it was just for Chrona's graduation. Did you graduate with Black*Star by any chance?" Maka said as she stuffed more clothes into the bag. She didn't know how long she'd be kicked out of her apartment and there was no way that Blair and Liz could dress her up. They worked undercover in the Vice department, so often times they went undercover as prostitutes to catch possible drug dealers. As a result, most of the clothes they had weren't exactly modest, and Maka had learned her lesson when they helped her get ready for a date last spring.

"Uh, yeah. So that's the crazy sister Liz was telling me about. Cool," Soul smirked at Maka, revealing sharp teeth. Even though the teeth should have made him look like a grinning monster, the smirk worked for him. He looked behind him into the bathroom, "Hey Chief Perv, I texted Killik so him and the midgets are coming over to tape off the area and canvas the apartment complex. Now all we need is your statement," The other three turned towards Maka just as she pulled out a bra to pack away. Her father and Black*Star both turned away, Spirit blushing slightly and Black*Star pulling a face, while Soul's ears turned red and he hurriedly wiped at his nose before going back to inspect the bathroom.

"I was taking a shower to go to the party tonight and the eye wasn't on the wall when I got in there, I would have noticed it. After taking a ten minute shower I got out and noticed it. That gives him ten minutes to have snuck into my bathroom and paint that on the wall, he got out through the window which was open when I got out as well. My radio was on so I couldn't hear anything or anyone making noise in here," Maka told them and noticed her father writing down notes on a notepad. His red hair was getting in his face as he was writing, _I'll have to remind Blair to give him a haircut, as long as they haven't broken up again that is. Speaking of Blair…_

"Where's Blair? I heard her just a minute ago," She asked and looked around my bedroom. After crawling around on her hands and knees for a minute or so she finally pulled a small purple cat wearing a snap-on witch's hat out from under her bed.

"Blair? She's already a Chupa Cabra's, not here," Soul replied from the bathroom.

"No, my cat Blair. Human Blair gave her to me as a sixteenth birthday present and named the cat after herself because they both have purple hair," Maka said and pulled Blair closer to herself, "Well I guess both of the Blairs can just live with each other for now seeing as how I probably won't be able to take care of her."

"What's with the witch's hat? That's new from the last time Tsubaki and I were over," Black*Star said, taking kitty Blair from Maka. The cat immediately flattened its ears and attempted to squirm away from the bluenette, "I don't understand why she doesn't like me!" He held the cat at arm's length and made a face at it.

"Because you're loud and cats hate loud people," Maka huffed then grabbed her cat, gently depositing her in a cat carrier, and bag, "Let's go, if I'm here when Fire and Thunder arrive I'll never get to leave. C'mon loudmouth," She pulled Black*Star by the ear out the door with Soul following behind and laughing loudly, her father chuckling himself.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO YOUR GOD! THAT'S ANTI-FOLLOWER LIKE! LISTEN TO YOUR GOD!" Black*Star howled as he was pulled down the stairs. The other tenants were long used to this, so they only grumbled when they heard the loudmouth. Luckily Maka lived on the second floor, so they only had to go down one set of stairs.

"I think the word you want is heresay dumbass," Maka said and Soul vowed to try and not piss off the petite woman.

"Damn Bookworm!" Black*Star ground out. The three finally made it out to the street to see…

"A motorcycle? You two came here on a motorcycle?" Maka started giggling as the two young men looked at each other, "I can't believe it!"

"What about it? It's no big deal for a god!" Black*Star boasted.

"It's not like… oh!" Soul paled he realized what the two of them riding the motorcycle together must have looked like, especially seeing as how it was a rather small and sleek bike with no handlebars for Black*Star to hold on to, "Black*Star, you're on foot. I'll drive Maka back to the precinct on the motorcycle." Black*Star nodded, still not understanding what was funny, taking Maka's bag but leaving Blair before running in the direction of the precinct, "Okay bookworm, get on back. I only have one helmet, but you're putting it on. I don't want Chief Perv to get on my ass.

"Alright," Maka said, handing Blair off to Soul while she put on the helmet. She swung her leg over the motorcycle before taking Blair back and Soul got on. The drive was short, but Soul made sure to drive carefully. He'd seen what Maka could do when mad and he didn't want anything to happen to him. Although it took him a while to remember why that name sounded so familiar, the attitude towards Black*Star and her father seemed to jog his memory. She was the girl who Black*Star freaked out about being attacked...

It was about four years ago when they'd first met, even though they both could barely remember it, they did for different reasons. Maka remembered it because it was the first time she'd been attacked because of her father, and Soul remembered it because it was when he'd met a freshman that he didn't hate, but actually kind of liked. Both of them were lost in memories of Soul and Black*Star's senior year and Maka's freshmen year which was the only time they'd met each other as the motorcycle roared down the street.

* * *

_Four years earlier…_

Soul and Black*Star were just chilling at Black*star's house after school when his parents called.

"You need me to pick Maka up? What happened, I just saw her like half an hour ago at school!" Black*Star said, the videogame him and Soul had been playing forgotten as he stood up angrily, "What?! What the hell was she thinking?! I'll be there in less than ten minutes!" Black*Star turned towards Soul and the albino saw the bluenette's eyes darkened with anger. Soul thought back to when Black*Star told him about his real family, the assassins and gang family now all dead because of their need for revenge. He hoped he wouldn't have to do anything to stop Black*Star from trying to exact revenge on whoever this Maka girl was, because it seemed like it would be impossible with Black*Star's temper at the level it was now.

"What happened? Who's Maka?" Soul asked, pausing the game and setting down his controller.

"Maka Albarn, practically my little sister. They fucking ganged up on her! I'll make them pay!" Black*Star was seething, not even making any sense. Soul grabbed his friend by the arm and led him down the stairs, unable to get his buddy to elaborate as to who "they" were. They quickly got on the motorcycle and drove to the precinct. When they got there Black*Star jumped off the bike, running in before Soul even stopped. Once inside Soul was surprised by the flurry of activity going on inside, a large group surrounding a desk. The Chief of Police was practically weeping on the ground next to a young blonde girl who had her hair up in disheveled pigtails. She looked ready to smack him, when none other than the Mayor did it himself, hitting him with the side of his hand on the top of the man's head.

"Spirit pull yourself together!" The Mayor spoke loudly. The crying man passed out from the hit to his head, "Oh, I think I hit him too hard this time."

"That's fine by me," The girl ground out. Another man in a white doctor's coat that had stitches all over it walked up to the group. He tall with silver hair and a screw stuck in his head, and pushed up his glasses, "Hello Stein."

"Hello Maka, your father has been overreacting again, hasn't he?" The man asked pleasantly. Stein seemed to be careless of the fallen man, and began examining Maka. He checked all of her bruises and scrapes, covering them with disinfectant and bandaging her head where there was a particularly nasty cut, "You look just fine. Make sure you keep the wounds clean and use disinfectant once a day at a minimum. And as a favor, maybe since he's already unconscious I can run a few tests on your father..."

"Feel free, just get him away from me," Maka looked away pointedly as the man, Stein, pulled her father by his legs out of the room. She looked up and finally noticed Black*Star and Soul standing a short distance away, "Thank God you're finally here, I'm not sure how much longer I could stand being in the same room as that idiot." Maka smiled tightly as she stood up, but abruptly sat back down once she noticed Black*Star striding angrily towards her. He caged her into the chair and got his face in hers.

"Explain to me what the fuck happened," Black*Star barked out. Lesser beings might have cowered in fear at the look in Black*Star's face, but this tiny girl, a freshman that barely came up to Soul's shoulders, simply rolled her eyes.

"Don't swear," She said primly. Soul had to snicker, and he noted a lot of the others in the room did too. If he had to guess the two did this a lot during arguements, Maka going as far as to reprimand Black*Star not to swear, "I was walking home after dropping Kim off at her house and a couple guys jumped me; it was Giriko and a couple of his big lackeys. They tried to pull my into the alleyway but I kicked their asses until Justin noticed, intervening, and they ran away. It's no big deal Black*Star, Arachne is just upset that Papa's getting close to her weapons operation. Apparently her little spies haven't been paying close enough attention that they haven't noticed that I moved into my own apartment last month."

Black*Star however was not done yet, "It's no big deal?! Maka you're fourteen and Giriko's at least twenty-five, you're a smart girl, you know what he could've done if Justin hadn't come along! That's it, I'm walking you to and from school until this whole deal is over with and you can stay at my house."

"Like hell you are loudmouth! I'll be fine on my own, I have been for the past month," Maka ground out. Black*Star opened his mouth to argue but Maka cut him off in a softer voice and an understanding expression, "Black*Star, I know what could've happened, but you're not going to always be there to protect me. You're graduating in a few months and I'll still be in high school so I've got to learn to protect myself too."

"I just don't want you to get hurt, and I know Tsubaki doesn't either," Black*Star said and he ruffled her hair before straightening up. Almost everyone else lost interest at this point, but Black*Star effectively recaptured it, "A GOD DOESN'T ALLOW HIS FRIENDS TO GET HURT! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Maka…"

"Huh?"

"CHOP!" With a comical hit on the head with a book, Black*Star was down for the count for a while. Maka put her book away before looking at Soul, "Are you Soul? Black*Star's been talking about you at supper for the longest time. I hope you two stay friends after graduation, and have fun dragging him home. I called Tsubaki while you guys were on your way." As if on cue the tall curvy and beautiful Japanese girl from his classes, and Black*Star's girlfriend, walked into the precinct. Worry filled her violet eyes and she even stepped over Black*Star without a second thought, pulling Maka into a hug.

"Maka you had me so worried!" Tsubaki said before leaning back slightly to check Maka over, "Your eye is starting to bruise and it looks like you let Fire and Thunder do your hair."

"I know, but it's no big deal, I taught those guys who the boss is!" Maka smiled brightly and Soul was struck by how much older she looked with just that small change of her facial features. He had to hold back a blush as Maka turned that smile towards him, "It was nice to finally meet you Soul, maybe I'll see you around."

* * *

Now they were all walking back into the precinct, Black*Star running up almost as soon as they got off the bike. They walked into a quiet precinct, everyone staring before one young man with black hair and golden eyes walked up to the three, "Maka, Soul, Black*Star, what happened?" He inspected the girl and her two companions, not missing the cat and bag as well as the fact that Maka lacked her normal hairstyle and Black*Star was oddly quiet.

"Asura," was the tense, one worded answer Maka gave in reply, which most of those present recognizing the name, "I'm going to stay here until my dad gets back then I'll probably go to his place as much as I hate it. Is it alright if I take one of the bunks for now Kid?"

"Of course. I suppose I don't need anyone to show you the way, do I?" Kid patted her head (directly in the middle) and half-smiled at her which Maka returned, "I'll have Liz bring you some toiletries in a bit to pack in your bag. Get some sleep Maka, you've probably had a long day."

Maka nodded, grabbing her bags from Black*Star, then moved through the crowd and up the stairs. Soul watched her for a second, as well as everyone else in the room, before clearing his throat, "I don't know about you guys, but I feel like it might not be such a great night for a party. Can someone call Blair and tell her?"

"I will," A dirty blonde girl said, stepping forward, "I have to pick my sister up, as well as grab some supplies for Maka so I'll just get Blair at the same time."

"Thanks Liz, you're a lifesaver," Soul forced a grin then turned back to the other two men he was standing with. Black*Star was still staring worriedly in the direction Maka had disappeared in, and Death the Kid, son of the mayor, was studying the tenseness in the room, "So what's the full story with Maka anyway?"

"Her parents had her at a young age, but their marriage was never the best. They lived in the house next to me and my adopted parents who worked on the police force with Spirit, and even though I'm about four years older than her she'd always come over to my house to play. During the time of the divorce she stayed at my house most of the time since she didn't want to hear them fighting, we'd sleep in the fort we made since it was summer. She's pretty much my younger sister even if we're not related, and anyone who wants to mess with her has to mess with me first. We came to the precinct all the time as kids, so almost everyone here knows us, actually you might be the only one who doesn't really know her," Black*Star said. He scratched his head after he spoke, looking into the distance like he was watching his childhood in front of him.

"That's how I met her," Kid interjected while Black*Star was distracted, "I came here with my father often as well, so the three of us would get pushed off onto some patrolman, usually Sid, and go play in the patrol cars. Now, sadly, we only see each other when we get the odd days off at the same time."

"Huh," was all Soul could think to say. He was about to ask more questions, but Liz came hurrying back.

"Black*Star, Maka's freaking out and I can't get her to calm down. She went to go lie down for a bit before her dad got back and when all of a sudden she screamed and now she's practically hyperventilating," Liz barely got the sentence out before Black*Star was racing down the hallway. Soul followed him with Kid and they arrived to Maka's bunk panting. It wasn't hard figuring out which bed Maka was sleeping in because she was currently sitting up with her knees pulled to her chest and breathing hard. Black*Star hurried over to her and pulled her into a tight hug while whispering in her ear.

"Sh, it's okay Maka, I know you're just amazed by my godliness, but you don't have to freak out," Black*Star's attempt at calming the girl seemed to work because the next whimper turned into a watery chuckle and a smack on the head for Black*Star, who pouted, "You shouldn't hit your God."

"I'm an exception to those rules," Maka smiled, releasing the bluenette from the hug. She wiped at her eyes before turning to the other two males in the room and scowling with a slight flush on her face, "Geez it was just a nightmare, more like the situation finally hitting me, all three of you didn't have to come."

"Of course I'd come and make sure you're all right," Kid replied softly, Soul knew Kid was polite, but he was genuinely worried about Maka. Soul really was amazed by the fact that this high school senior had so many people wrapped around her finger, but admired the way those people stood around her to protect her.

"I just came along for the ride," Soul smirked. He didn't know her well enough to give any real comfort, but hopefully by bringing some semblance of joking into this conversation she could feel a little better.

"Thanks," Maka rolled her eyes with a small smile, "Now all of you get out, I have to get some sleep before my big test tomorrow in first hour."

"What?" Black*Star replied dumbly.

"I have to get some sleep before my big test tomorrow. Stein is subbing for God knows what reason and he changed the material on the test. I mean testing on a dissection in AP chemistry? Ugh! How they got the police forensic investigator to be a sub at high school is beyond my comprehension!" The three young males looked at each other, two exasperated and the other still confused.

"You're not going to school tomorrow," Soul said and Maka raised her eyebrow in reply.

"Oh, you wanna bet?" She asked.

* * *

_Semi-abrupt ending, but I like the beginning of next chapter where I put it so you'll have to deal with it. I hope to have the next chapter up by Friday, but that might not happen… so Saturday night roughly. I BARELY made this deadline so don't get your hopes up too high. Until then, review! I love to hear any feedback, so put down your thoughts, good and bad, so I can improve._

_-Charlotte_


	3. Chapter 2

_The past three days have been long. Very long. I feel as if though I've been forced to run five miles then do an obstacle course. In the mud. So I'm sorry for the day-late update but if you're extremely curious as to why it's been a long day then read at the end. Any edit I want to make will come later, so don't freak out at any mistakes I make. Instead calmly follow this procedure: Scroll to the review box, type in the problem area/typo, hit publish review. Then we'll ALL be happy._

_I'd just like to remind everyone that this story will have VERY slow-rising romance as of right now seeing as how I have to establish a close bond first. So if you're in for some quick fluff then at this point you'll have to turn elsewhere. However there is some of Soul being a perv AND protector in this chapter!_

_Disclaimer: Same as usual: I don't rule the world, I don't own Soul Eater nor any of the other things I may mention in this chapter._

* * *

"I hate you," Maka pouted and crossed her arms, turning away from Black*Star.

"C'mon Maka, I don't want you to go around alone when someone is trying to kill you. Tsubaki would go with you but she has her last test for the year and she can't miss that, and Lord Death wants to see me today. Plus it'll be a chance for you to get to know Soul better," Black*Star said.

"If it's anything like it is whenever a cute guy walks into our school then he's going to be distracted by all the girls pushing their boobs towards him," Maka replied.

"You think I'm cute, huh?" That was a boost to Soul's self-esteem…

"Would you rather I say you're ugly?"

…maybe. Maka stood up and began making her way towards the women's bathroom to brush her teeth and hair. Black*Star and Soul followed her into the restroom, much to the displeasure of Maka and the poor woman from forensics who had been in there. Although she did a good job of ignoring them, Maka still cast irritated glances towards the other two occupants. She continued to get ready for school, already in a bad mood due to the arrangements that had been made and the fact that she forgot her rubber bands to put her hair up with. Liz hadn't thought to get any last night, and it would be ridiculous for Maka to be mad about that if she hadn't said anything.

"All they're asking is that you let Soul go with you to your classes and just sit there to make sure nothing happens at school. I know it's not Asura's style to attack in public, but he changed his MO slightly, plus he has to have allied himself with someone by now who would. I hear Arachne is making a big comeback due to a new member of her organization that could possibly be Asura," Liz added in, breezing into the bathroom past the two males, "And this is a women's bathroom boys. I expect you to go and apologize to Kana about that, or else."

"We'll go do that right away!" Soul said, exiting the bathroom and pulling Black*Star with him. Everyone knew before coming here, the Thompsons lived on the street, which is the reason why Liz was such a great undercover officer in Vice. She could hurt a man without a weapon in two seconds flat if they pissed her off and Soul didn't want to take any chances.

"Maka, just do it," Liz said, pulling out a nail file and leaned against the sink, beginning to file her nails.

"I just feel like they underestimate me, I did take years of martial arts and self-defense seeing as how my parents were paranoid about something happening to me," Maka replied, grimacing.

"Hun, we're all just worried about you. Look on the bright side you can stick close to Soul for the next eight hours," Liz waggled her eyebrows at the younger girl. She chuckled at Maka's confused expression, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed how hot he is! You want to become a detective, maybe you can get to know him and become his partner once you graduate from the Academy. We all have bets on how long him and Black*Star are gonna last, and I say a week tops, they're too incompatible."

"I haven't noticed," Maka said defensively, her cheeks flaming up, "It's just with everything that happened last night, I didn't get much of a chance to actually look at him."

"You poor soul, pun intended. Now be a good girl and let the man go with you. He has to be at least intrigued by you, he volunteered for this since Black*Star couldn't. From what I know about him he wouldn't do that to a stranger he has no interest in," Liz said. Once she finished speaking, there was a knock on the door and Black*Star's head peeked in.

"Maka, Soul says you guys should probably go now," the bluenette said.

"That's right!" Maka grabbed her stuff and hurried out of the bathroom towards the bunk she was using, "I need to get the homework for the next week or so since I won't be able to come in," After storing all of her stuff in her bag under her bed she looked around the room, "Did Blair already come and get Kitty Blair?"

"Yeah, she stopped by while you were in the bathroom. Now come on, you don't want to be late to school," Soul said, grabbing Maka's arm and dragging her down through the precinct. He was mumbling something about stubborn small-breasted bookworms.

"I take offense to that!" Maka snapped, lightly slapping Soul on the back of the head. He rolled his eyes before shoving his helmet at her and climbing on the motorcycle. Maka climbed on after him while buckling the straps on the helmet, "Well I guess I won't be arriving at school the quiet way I normally do. Everyone is going to be staring!" Thankfully Soul was wearing a plain black leather jacket with an orange shirt underneath and jeans, so her classmates would just think that Maka was going out with a delinquent that was older than her. Great, and that's not being sarcastic at _all_.

Soul chuckled while the girl groaned and adjusted her messenger bag on her shoulder. Her head hit his back as she sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist and Soul felt his ears turn red, surprised by the movement. He gulped before starting his bike, "Are you sure you've never ridden a motorcycle before?"

"I never said I haven't," Maka quipped and smiled, "Patty had one for a while and made me ride with her everywhere. It was… interesting." Soul shuddered at the mere thought of having to ride with Patty from the stories he'd been told. It was a quick ride from the precinct to the school, so the two were soon there. Luckily there was about half an hour before school started so there weren't too many people to notice Maka's odd arrival, "Alright, my first class is AP Chemistry and Stein is subbing. He's the goddamn police forensics investigator so I have no clue how they got him to sub but he is. Then I have AP Lit with Ms. Marie and AP Comp with her later on too. I also have Calculus with Joe and then P.E. with Mifune."

"What about your two other hours?"

"One of them is lunch and the other is study hall, these are the only credits I need to graduate. Now let's go get my homework for the day," Maka grabbed Soul's hand and pulled him down the hallway to her classes. He managed to pull his hand away and clasped his hands together behind his head. He followed behind her and looked around at the school he had gone to four years ago. It hadn't changed much and he could still see some of the graffiti Black*Star and him had left, causing him to snicker and earning him a glare from Maka. They efficiently went from class to class getting all of Maka's homework for the week. With the amount she had, she thought it'd only take her a few hours to complete it. Many of the students seemed to be gawking at the two of them, surprised by Soul and Maka's lack of pigtails.

"Oi Bookworm, how much longer are we gonna be here?" Soul's voice broke Maka out of her mental calculations, causing the girl to frown.

"Well since we're already here I want to stay for the day, or at least until lunch since that's my sixth period with my study hall after," She replied. Soul groaned as he followed Maka into her first class of the day, AP Chemistry, to take her test. Luckily she sat in the back, so he pulled a chair up next to her desk and promptly fell asleep against her shoulder as Stein passed out his test on dissection. Maka bit her lip as she attempted to focus on the test as Soul's hair tickled her neck and his close proximity allowed her to discover that he had a very nice scent. It was masculine and faintly of leather and his motorcycle. Once she'd finished her test, Maka flicked Soul in the forehead (which didn't go over to well with the man who grumbled and once again called her a flat-chested bookworm. In return she smacked him over the head with the spine of her chemistry book which shut him up for the rest of the period) then turned it in to Stein.

Once they had finally survived two hours with the over-energetic Ms. Marie and another with the coffee obsessed Joe, it was finally time for the last hour that Maka had to be present for: P.E.

"Are you sure you can't skip this class too?" Soul groaned. Already today he'd been flicked in the head countless times then Maka-Chopped three times(he learned that Black*Star has had to endure these quite often which wasn't surprising) and now he had to sit through a period of girls in too short of shorts and guys being immature with gym equipment, and he'd know since he was a part of those guys four years ago.

"We have a fitness day today, and they're worth the majority of our grade in here, so no. I can't just skip this class," Maka snubbed as she walked into the locker room and away from Soul for the first time today. As soon as she stepped into the girls-only room, she was surrounded by girls. Only one girl actually confronted Maka outright, and that was Kim Diehl.

"Who's the hottie that's been tailing you Albarn?" Kim asked with her arms crossed over her chest, a move that should be snotty but Kim looked too innocent to pull off snotty. Her bubblegum pink hair stood out compared to the other girls at this school, rivaled in memorability by her "stalker" Ox Ford's hairstyle of two spikes by his ears. It wasn't that Kim said it meanly, actually the two girls had a rough friendship due to their annoyance at Ox, but it was exactly what Maka had been dreading all day. Truth be told if today hadn't been a fitness day then she probably would have skipped P.E. just to avoid this moment.

"The new detective at the precinct," Maka answered shortly, quickly changing into her shorts and loose t-shirt for gym, "There have been… some issues that arose so now he's here with me today so I can get my homework for the next two weeks."

"So he's single?" Kim asked hopefully.

"I don't know, ask him yourself. I just met him yesterday so it's not like I know all of his deepest darkest secrets," Maka rolled her eyes as the girls began chattering and giggling. She walked out of the locker room and outside to the track where most of the boys were already pushing each other around. She saw Soul standing to one side by Mifune and she moved over to where they were talking. He looked up and Maka saw him quickly wipe at his nose before turning his head pointedly to one side. Huh, he must have some allergies.

Honestly, Soul hadn't been expecting Maka to be one of the short-short girls. Then again, with the long legs he'd taken to admiring during the boring school hours anything would look short. Those legs seemed to go on for miles and Soul didn't know whether to be happy or wary of the fact that since she was eighteen no longer what the guys referred to as jailbait. His nose decided to betray him slightly so he made sure no signs of blood were visible.

"You're going to want to create a fake girlfriend, all the girls are going to be coming after you," Maka said as she walked past him to Mifune. His jaw dropped and he looked to where Maka had come from. Almost every girl had pulled their shorts up to maximum shortness, so the group of guys were gawking. The group closest to him however, were not looking at the girls coming out of the locker room, but one particular girl behind Soul. Said man could hear the majority of their conversation and his blood started boiling as he finally realized what they were talking about.

"Man Albarn looks hot without those pigtails in. She hasn't worn her shorts for gym since our last fitness day, and seeing those legs are like the keg at a party," Never mind the stupid analogy the teenager was using, he was talking about Maka like she was some toy!

"Is it me or do her tits seem bigger too?" Soul ground his teeth and glared at the teenagers, throwing in a scowl too that had them paling and shutting up. He smirked in triumph as Mifune stepped forward to begin the lesson.

"Alright, today you'll all be going on a run through the town. Don't even think about trying to ditch. For one thing," A small girl in a chameleon-shaped witch's hat ran up to Mifune with a bag full of something, "Angela has taken all of your cell phones. For another there a GPS devices in stitched into your gym uniforms so we'll be able to track how far you run and where you are. If you're idle too long then when you come back it's ten laps on the track. Now go."

Although it seemed like he was being a hardass, Soul remembered Mifune wanting to help kids, even annoying teens, be their best. The guy loved kids for some reason, so he'd do anything to make them happy. Everyone but Maka groaning, they began to take off towards the streets of Death City. Soul went to follow Maka, but was stopped by girls asking him to run with them. It wasn't long before he shook them off, but he had to go back to Mifune to check the GPS system and find out where Maka was, hoping she was fine. He took off at a jog in the direction her GPS was in, and soon found her. However, it wasn't exactly how he'd been hoping to find her.

She was pinned against the brick wall of an alleyway by the three guys who Soul had overheard. She was strong, but when a teenage girl goes up against three boys with the element of surprise, the end results were bound to be rather stereotypical. Two of them were holding her arms as she struggled to release their grip and the third had his hand up her shirt, almost at her chest, "Get the fuck off me you jerks!" Maka twisted her arm and managed to get it free. She punched one of the guys in the face, sending him flying into the brick wall that he had been holding Maka against. The other one holding her arm pushed her deeper into the wall, twisting her arm behind her back and causing her to cry out in pain. That was what shook Soul out of his stupor and into action. He grabbed the first kid by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back, throwing him onto the ground. Then he went for the other boy and shoved him against the wall, punching him in the jaw.

"Soul!" Maka sounded like a high school student at that moment, frightened and nothing like the strong girl she'd been for the past 24 hours he'd known her. He left the three boys to step over to Maka and grabbed her wrist, knowing at this point that picking her up like he wanted to carrying her back to the school would only anger her, "Soul?"

"I'm taking you back to the school, you're changing and grabbing all of your stuff, then I'm bringing you to go get lunch," Soul said, his vision going red with anger, "I swear if I ever see any of those punks again I'm going to fuck them up, regardless of whether or not their only in high school! It's not cool to practically rape a girl!"

"Soul, calm down!" Maka said, stumbling to keep up with his longer strides. Even with her long legs, Soul's were longer, so he slowed his pace slightly to allow her to walk normally.

"Calm down?!" Soul's answer was almost hysterical, "You just got felt up and you're telling me to calm down?! Think of what would happen is Black*Star or your perv-for-brains dad woulda done if they'd been here! Aren't you at least pissed if not scared?"

"Of course I'm pissed!" Maka snorted, "And of course I'm going to make sure that Mifune finds out. He's the best one to tell when things like this happen since he can really make them pay. So all in all it's a fair punishment they'll be getting since nothing actually happened. I can't say I'm surprised though, other than most of the police officers Papa works with, the majority of men are the same: pigs."

The two had been walking fast enough that they'd now reached the school again. Soul explained the situation to Mifune while Maka got changed, making sure Maka got all of her points for the day and that the boys would be punished. Then they grabbing Maka's bag and got on Soul's bike, going through a McDeath's drive-thru for some quick food before heading back to the precinct.

"Remember," Maka whispered as they walked in, "No one, especially Black*Star and Liz, are to know about this. Otherwise we're both going to be up to our necks in trouble."

"Deal," Soul readily agreed, an odd fuzzy feeling going through his veins at the thought of them having a secret. _I hope she doesn't go back on our promise otherwise I'm going to be dead meat for letting her get hurt on my watch._ He may not have known Maka for too long, but he had a feeling that she didn't go back on promises. That made things all the more interesting for Soul, and he couldn't wait to know more about her.

* * *

"I don't care that she's being protected by the police Giriko, I want you to find the girl and bring her here for Asura. He can't afford to chance being seen in public and he's getting restless. Just do it," A busty, pale woman with black hair and wearing a long, formal black dress said from a chair. She leaned on it and was looking bored at the seeming inadequacies of her underling. The man in question, who had brown hair and a nose piercing, thought for a moment before sighing and nodding his head, "Good. Now go, I have a little catching up to do with my dear sister's activities. She had been posing as a nurse at the DWMA and I want to know why."

* * *

_And on that note we end this chapter. We finally get a chance to hear from the antagonists which is always exciting. Now, for all of you who were wondering, "Hey, why did that brat update so late?" I have your answer._

_On Friday, I had auditions for an All-State Choir which lasted until five at night. Not too bad, but then I realized that, oh shit my file of this chapter hadn't been saved and spent that night re-typing the first half._

_Then Saturday I had a speech tournament (oh lord was that interesting) from seven a.m. until 4:30 p.m. then I had to go straight to the babysitting job I have until 10 p.m._

_This morning (Sunday if you get your dates mixed up or aren't reading this today) I had to bus tables until 2 in the afternoon. I'm wiped, but happy with how this chapter turned out even after re-typing it. I'm uber busy this next week, so I'm hoping for an update by the end of the week, but possibly sooner than Saturday, but we'll have to see._

_-Charlotte._


	4. Chapter 3

_I've had one Starbucks Double Shot energy drink (a splurge), two cups of coffee (mostly creamer, but whatever) and a LOT of a wide array of chocolate chip breakfast items. This chapter was cranked out in roughly 1.3 hours, but I feel fairly proud of it. An update I'd like to announce is that, while mostly based off of the anime, some details from the manga will be used in this story. That's okay though, it's fanfiction!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater, nor the lines used almost directly from the manga._

* * *

It was a restless day at the Death City Police precinct a week after Maka had been targeted by Asura. There had been a string of ten muggings the night before, and it had appeared to be done by the same person. All of the victims looked similar; ashy blonde hair, green eyes and anywhere from age twelve to twenty-four but petite in stature. No one wanted to mention what they all noticed- the victims all looked like Maka. They all described the same attacker, a man in his late twenties with brown hair and distinguishable nose piercings.

Many people were bustling from one area to the other, trying to collaborate all the evidence they could, when raised voices could be heard from the Chief's office. They stopped and stared at the door in wonder, until someone mentioned that Spirit's daughter was in there with him and they all got back to work with shrugs.

* * *

"I DON'T WANT MY BABY TO GO AND LIVE WITH A NASTY BOY!"

"Maka… CHOP!" Suddenly the wailing ceased and all was quiet once again. Maka stuffed her book back into her bag and glared at her father lying prone on the floor with puffed out cheeks, "Stupid Papa. Soul and Black*Star are right, I can't just keep staying here at night, and your house would be a terrible choice since you're never home."

"But why can't you stay at Black*Star's place, or preferably Tsubaki's?" Her father sniffled.

"For the thousandth time, Tsubaki and Black*Star have moved in together, and they don't have enough room until all of their boxes have been unpacked. Now, I've been staying here for a whole week, and Soul has a perfectly good apartment that I could stay in safely."

"Besides Chief Perv, since I'm practically her personal bodyguard at this point, it makes sense for her to stay at my apartment. We'll run by her place to pick some stuff up then go to my place right after," Soul added lazily from where he sat in a chair, leaning his head against his arm. His eyes were closed, and if a person wasn't being observant they'd think he was asleep.

"Let's go now," Maka said and got up. Her father lifted his head up and looked at them, opening his mouth to speak, "And no Papa, you can't stay there with us as well. I'm eighteen, almost nineteen, I can make my own decisions and take any responsibilities that come with them." Maka walked out the door with a grimace on her face, Soul smirking behind her.

"That went better than expected," Soul drawled as the two walked up to the bunk room where Maka had been sleeping. She scowled at him then pointedly turned away to start packing, "Aw c'mon Maka, it was a joke. Lighten up a bit Tiny-Tits," Maka's head snapped up at the nickname and Soul was surprised by the hurt he saw in them.

"What did you call me?" Maka enunciated each word, trying her best not to scream at Soul.

"T-Tiny-Tits," Soul replied a bit scared. Maka stopped packing and just looked down at her suitcase for a few moment. She mumbled something but Soul couldn't hear it, "Huh? Repeat that again."

"I said get out right now," Maka looked up, her eyes glistening with angry tears. Soul was shocked by the intense emotions radiating off of the irritated girl, so he did exactly that. She called out as he left, "And tell Black*Star to come up here."

Soul walked down the stairs to his and Black*Star's desks trying to comprehend what had just happened. When his partner saw him, he looked up, "Maka wants you. She's up in the bunk room," And he sat down to start looking over some of the evidence again to try and distract himself. Once he'd noticed Black*Star had gone racing upstairs, he walked outside to get some fresh air.

_Had I really said that to her?_ Soul thought, _I don't even know why that slipped out, normally things like that only happen around people I'm comfortable with, and even then it's rare for me to say something like that, really only around Blair or Liz. With her confidence it's hard to remember that she's only a teenager, a very pretty teenager with bright green eyes and long legs that lead up to a tight- NO! BAD THOUGHTS SOUL, BAD THOUGHTS! She might not be jailbait anymore, but she's still way too young to be in a relationship with someone like me… right?_ Soul's thoughts were interrupted by a loud shout.

"SOUL WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?" Black*Star yelled. He ran out of the precinct after not finding his white-haired partner there and onto the sidewalk in front, almost running straight into Soul. Without warning, Black*Star grabbed the collar of Soul's shirt and pulled him up. Although the two were almost the exact same height, Black*Star's ridiculous hair making the man seem taller, at this moment it seemed as if though the bluenette was a lot taller than Soul. His eyes were dark with anger and his face contorted into a scowl. Soul gulped and Black*Star shook his a little, "What the fuck man? Why would you say something like that to Maka?"

"I honestly don't know Star," Soul said quickly, trying to placate the angry man, "It just slipped out! I came out here to try and figure that out myself!" His attempts were futile he soon learned, when Black*Star punched him in the jaw. Soul went down, crumpling onto the pavement where he stayed as Black*Star idly shook out his fist.

"You know she has issues with her dad, right, ever since her and her mom found out he'd been on Kami, Maka hasn't trusted him or any guys for that matter," Black*Star squatted down next to his partner, who started rubbing his jaw and sat up, "She thinks they're all the same, that they'll cheat on whoever they're with eventually, and that they're all pigs. It took me a month after the divorce and punching out a couple guys that were picking on Maka for her to really trust me again. Kid only gained her trust because he was such a gentleman, and even then it wasn't until two years ago or so that she finally started telling him stuff. You were starting to gain her trust you dumbass, and you wasted your chance. I'm not gonna talk to her about this, but you sure as hell better try"

Soul nodded dumbly at seeing his boisterous friend so serious, "It just, I don't know," Soul sighed and moved his hand from rubbing his stinging jaw to run it through his hair in frustration, "She was irritated so I thought I'd lighten her up with a bit of teasing, I honestly didn't know any of that."

"I know, you can't know everything like your Godly partner does!" Black*Star grinned and stood up, offering his hand to Soul who took it gratefully, "Now let's go help my favorite follower pack!"

"I thought Tsubaki was your favorite follower," Soul ignored all the stares the two were getting from bystanders who were confused at the sudden shift of anger to friendliness.

"No man, she's my goddess! HEAR THAT EVERYONE? TSUBAKI NA-" Black*Star was cut off by a book to the head, the book being connected to none other than Maka's hand. He went down immediately, Tsubaki walking up just as he began yelling. Her face was bright red, and the shy Japanese girl looked down at her groaning boyfriend.

"Was that really necessary to hit him so hard Maka? Some day you might give him brain damage," Her voice was soft but she was giggling slightly.

"I can't give him something he already has," Maka sniffed before looking at Soul, "I don't completely forgive you, but your place is way better than sleeping here, so let's go. I need to pick some stuff up from my apartment first though." Soul nodded and they said goodbye to Tsubaki and Black*Star and walked out to Soul's bike in an awkward silence, before Soul spoke.

"I'm sorry Maka. I normally hang out with Liz and Black*Star, sometimes Blair if her and Liz have been hanging out, and when I talk like that they don't normally get angry. It's hard to remember you're only a teenager most of the time, but that's still not a great excuse. It just kinda slipped out, I wanted to joke around and tease you to try and get you out of the bad mood you seemed to be in," Soul chanced a glance at Maka and smiled when he noticed her somewhat brighter expression.

"Alright, I'll mostly forgive you, but I'm not going to that easily," She warned then flashed Soul a small smile, "Now let's go get my stuff already so I can take a shower in a real bathroom, not a woman's locker room!" The two got onto Soul's bike and they drove in a more comfortable silence back to her apartment. Once there they got off the bike and climbed up the stairs. It was eerily quiet, and Soul looked at Maka before they opened her door. He pulled his gun out of its hostler, which was rare for him to do, and grabbed the key from Maka. He inserted it and opened the door, immediately regretting the action as a large black man with a white X mask covering his face rushed at the two. Soul was so preoccupied with protecting Maka, and Maka with making sure Soul didn't die, that neither of them noticed the pink-haired boy standing in the living room. The man was moving too quickly for Soul to get a clear shot, but he was able to shoot the man in the shoulder, which took him down instantly. Maka looked into her apartment and finally saw another occupant.

"Chrona?!" She cried out. The boy looked up at his name, grabbing one elbow with his opposite hand.

"My blood is black," He said, looking up and smiling creepily. Then he rushed Maka with the knife he'd taken from her kitchen. Maka easily disarmed the crazy boy, and sent him sprawling on the ground. She grabbed her book, muttered a sorry to Chrona, then hit him on the back of the head, knocking the boy out.

"Geez and I thought you hit me and Black*Star hard," Soul winced, knowing all too well how it felt to be on the other side of one of those books.

"Fuck, you two handle yourselves better than I thought you would," A low voice drawled from the couch. Both of them turned their heads towards the couch and saw Giriko lounging there, waiting, "I've been waiting for you all this time, you shouldn't keep me waiting!" Giriko struck out with his foot suddenly, knocking Soul back against the wall. Maka watched in horror as Soul's limp body fell to the ground, not unconscious but not exactly in fighting shape either.

"Soul!" Maka cried out, stunned still. Giriko turned towards her, leering at her.

"We've met before, haven't we? I gotta say though, you look a lot cuter now than you did then. Maybe I can have some fun of my own before bringing you to Asura," He stalked towards Maka, crossing the room in a few strides and throwing her onto the couch. Then he crawled over her body and pinned her wrists to the couch. She struggled, giving the man a head butt to the nose. He jerked up and Maka rolled off the couch and ran over to Soul who was just getting up, "You bitch! I'll make you pay for that with my favorite little toy."

"Maka!" Soul looked past her at Giriko. Maka looked over her shoulder at Giriko but was too late to react to the glint of metal coming down towards her back. She felt a sharp sting across her shoulders and upper back and cried out, falling on Soul who quickly supported her weight, "Shit!"

"This is my favorite," Giriko repeated while showing the two young adults what he had. It was a specialty knife whose blade was designed to look like a chainsaw. Maka remembered with a shudder a story about Giriko being charged for a murder using a chainsaw, but the he was never convicted since the only witness had suddenly disappeared, "Arachne may be a bitch but she's good at bribing people. She got me this and man do I love using it! Now you two are gonna get to see it in use. Arachne says I can't hurt the precious girl too much, but she never said anything about you pretty boy and she'll never know it was for fun rather than defense!" Giriko moved his hand above his head with the knife, but before he could slash down, there was a bang from next to Maka's ear and Giriko staggered back, blood pouring out of his right arm.

"Damn, I was aiming for the shoulder," Soul muttered, Maka clinging on to him for dear life. He wrapped his left arm around her waist to pull her closer and held the gun up with his right, "I'd get the fuck outta here now if I were you Giriko. You've literally brought a knife to a gun fight."

"Fuck you, I'll get you soon you asshole! Keep a close eye out for your precious buddy here though, he'll be fun when he wakes up and goes through withdrawal," Giriko called out as he backed out the door. They heard him running down the stairs and then revving up the engine of a bike before driving off.

Soul had pulled out a cell phone as soon as Giriko had left the apartment, "C'mon Stein pick up! Yes! Stein can you get over here immediately? Giriko was waiting for Maka and he cut her before we could react… it doesn't look like he hit anything too vital but it's deep and torn up, we found his new weapon… I'm fine, got kicked against a wall but nothing broken… yeah, there's two others, Chrona something or other and another guy wearing a mask. They appear to be under the influence of some sort of drug, but I don't recognize any of the effects… just bring a couple of uniforms to restrain them… thanks, and hurry!"

"Soul?" Maka looked up at him and Soul felt his heart stop. She was sprawled on her stomach over his legs, covering them. Her head rested on his lap and her back was bleeding heavily, although it would take a while for her to bleed to death he didn't like the looks of the wound itself. There was no doubt in his mind that it would scar, he only hoped Maka wouldn't mind having a scar on her back for the rest of her life, "Is he gone?" Her eyes were glassy and Soul could see the pain on her face clear as day.

"Yeah, he's gone for now at least," Soul soothed and shakily ran his fingers through a tangled pigtail. Maka closed her eyes and rested her head down again and moaned, he was about to asked her if she was alright when there were footsteps pounding on the staircase outside the apartment. Soul raised his gun again but lowered it as he saw it was Stein and a few uniforms there to help. Stein crossed over to the two right away and gently checked over Maka's back.

"The good news is that it doesn't look like it'll be infected and as soon as I stitch her up and give her a pain killer she can go to your place. The bad news is that she won't be able to do much for the next two or three days so you'll have to stay home with her. Sound alright you two?" Stein looked at them and they both nodded, "Good, you had no choice either way. Now, this may hurt, but I've got to stitch your back up. This brings back memories of when I'd have to do this to your father all of the time, both because of fights and because I was experimenting on him in his sleep."

As soon as the needle first pricked her skin, Maka clenched her jaw and closed her eyes tightly to prevent herself from crying out at the pain. Soul noticed this and he grabbed her hand and held it tightly to his chest, right above his heartbeat, "Feel my heartbeat Maka? Good, now breathe in time to my heart beat, three beats while you breathe in, three beats while you release your breath." Soul managed to keep his heart beating at regular speeds while Maka followed his orders. During the time Stein spent stitching up the torn up skin, Soul absentmindedly drummed his fingers against the hand Maka had on his chest. She relaxed slightly and finally, after a tetanus shot and a shot of high dosage pain killer, Stein was done. By that time Maka was practically asleep.

"Alright Soul, here's her pills, they're only a low dosage of pain killers so she can still take something like Advil or Tylenol. Make sure she takes one in the morning and one at night, they double as an antibiotic to prevent any infection. She hates taking pills of any kind so you're going to have to keep an eye out to make sure she does. The second shot I gave her will probably knock her out for the next couple of hours so be careful when you drive to your place. I'm going back to the precinct," Stein packed up quickly then looked at the two men now cuffed and slumped against the wall, "Now I get to examine the two of you."

Soul shuddered as Stein left then looked around Maka's apartment. The wall behind him was cracked and had a hole where his head it, there were two bullet holes in the opposite wall and blood all over the carpet. He gently laid Maka's head on the floor before going to her room, gun drawn just in case, and grabbing a couple of bags then stuffing them full of clothes. After he went to her bathroom and filled the last bag he had with her shampoo and other toiletries. Once that was done he packed them all onto his bike then went back upstairs and picked Maka up piggy-back style and carried her to his bike as well.

"How are we going to do this?" Soul asked himself. He had to bring her on his bike, but had to be careful of her back. Since she couldn't hang on, placing her behind her was out of the option, as well as holding her bridal style in front of him because of her back. There was only one way, Soul realized as he felt his ears burn and cheeks pink. He sat down on the bike then placed Maka in front of him, her facing him and his legs pinning hers to the motorcycle. Then he laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other being used to steer the motorcycle. He drove slowly, trying to ignore her soft breaths on his neck and the intimate position they were in. _Kill me now, I'm not gonna last three days let alone an indefinite period of time._

* * *

"I'm extremely disappointed in you Giriko," The black-haired woman said again. This time she was sitting on a couch and laying down next to her, his head on her lap, was a black-haired man with a tattoo on his forehead of an eye, "But I guess I'll have to wait to use my sister's brat again. Although it is nice to know that the steroid works, and we can start giving it to Asura. Now go and find a woman who looks like Maka for now so that he can release some of his tension." Giriko, gritting his teeth in frustration and pain, nodded and went to do as he was told. The woman and Asura remained on the couch, until Giriko came back a few hours later with a girl that looked almost identical to Maka.

"You are not the girl," Asura sneered, choking the whimpering girl, "You are nothing but a bug, fit only to be squished."

* * *

_Done! So one the bright side, at both of my speech tournaments in the past three days I've gotten two first places in my category! Only three days of school this week, and half my school will be gone anyway, so hopefully there'll be an update before Friday! Until then…_

_-Charlotte_


	5. Chapter 4

_What is this madness?! Am I actually posting a chapter ON TIME? Why yes, yes I am. The reason you may ask? I had no school because my Spring Break started yesterday! Granted I only get Thursday, Friday and Monday off from school, but that's better than nothing!_

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Soul Eater, however much I may wish, dream and threaten…_

* * *

When Maka woke up, her first reaction was to cuddle closer to the pillow her head was resting on. That was around the time she realized that she was on her stomach, and she never slept on her stomach. As she moved to flip over she remembered why- her back was killing her. Groaning loudly she sat up, glad that it was mainly her upper back and not her lower back that hurt, otherwise it would be much more difficult to maneuver herself into a sitting position.

Once she was up, she looked around the room, stiffening as she realized she wasn't in her own room. The room she was in was cluttered, men's clothing scattered around on the floor and overflowing the hamper. On the desk there was a keyboard with sheet music scattered around it, the clock stating that it was only 5:30 in the evening, and a guitar leaning against the desk. The closet was firmly shut, but the dresser had a drawer sticking out, Maka blushing as she realized it was the man's underwear drawer. On the bright side, she'd wanted to know more and she'd learned that whoever owned this room was a boxer's man, not briefs. She sniffed and was pleasantly surprised to find the scent familiar: leather, motor oil and undoubtedly expensive cologne.

"What the hell do you think you're doing up already?" A rough voice asked from the doorway. Maka whipped her head towards the doorway and relaxed once she realized it was just Soul who was holding a glass of water and a bottle of pills. _If Soul's here then it must mean that he brought me to his apartment… and this must be his bedroom_, "from a smart person you're pretty damn stupid if you think it's okay to be sitting up already. I got some medication for you and a glass of water. Stein said something about the shot making you thirsty and you not liking to take medicine, so I'm staying here until you take your pill."

"I don't want to," Maka said, puffing out her cheeks, pretty much the first childish thing Soul had seen her do when Black*Star wasn't involved. He gave her a look and Maka sighed, "Fine, hand me the water and pill." Soul smirked and complied, opening the bottle and handing her one pill.

"On the bright side there're only ten pills in here so you only need to take them for five days," Soul offered, laughing at the grimace on Maka's face as she swallowed the pill, "I'll be right back, I ordered some Chinese take-out for supper since I can't cook well and you can't cook right now." Soul left the room and Maka smiled softly until she realized something. Unfortunately for the male, he walked back into the room just as Maka's realization hit her. She didn't yell, but was deathly calm and a blush covered her cheeks bright red.

"Soul," She started slowly, not looking at him. She finally looked up with burning eyes and it took all her had for the man to not run out of the room. He gulped and stayed a safe distance away, "Why am I suddenly wearing your clothing?"

"Oh!" Soul swallowed, his face now turning red and he sniffed as the memory managed to make the blood in his nose start flowing, "Stein said you couldn't be in tight clothing for a few days until he took out the stitches, and so I put you i-in my clothes instead." Soul had to keep a tight rein on his mind from wandering to the images of a mostly naked Maka as he changed her into one of his biggest t-shirts.

"I see," Thankfully Maka left it at that as she tried to sort out her thoughts. She looked up again and smiled when she was the food, "I'll take that now!" Soul handed the food to the girl warily, still sitting out of arm's length in case Maka got angry again and decided she wanted to hit him on the head. Once she had finished eating (Soul having been done for a while now and secretly watching her out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't staring… just curious) there was a knock on the front door. Wary, Soul got up and dropped the empty containers off in the kitchen before going to the door and unlocking it. Even though he had the safety chain on still, as soon as he had twisted the knob open, the door was slammed in his face by an over-excited Patty.

"Maka!" Patty cried out as she burst into the apartment. Her sister and Tsubaki weren't far behind, followed by a frustrated Black*Star and collected Death the Kid. Black*Star's eyes were gleaming dangerously and even Kid's golden eyes glinted with aggression.

"So no one bothers to visit me until Maka starts staying here? Maybe she should just move in with me instead," Soul grumbled as he got out from behind the door after everyone was inside, causing the other males to smirk.

"I've managed to convince Father to give me a copy of the drug tests run on the two assailants from Maka's apartment and I wanted to share them with you two," Kid said, flashing the manila folder to Soul.

"Come on then," They walked to Soul's room where Maka was being fussed over by the two older girls as well as the younger girl. They didn't look up from their inspection of the girl when the three entered the room, until Kid cleared his throat.

"Although I am worried about your well-being Maka, I have something I believe you'd like to see," Kid opened the folder and began reading, Maka's eyes widening the more he read, "Back in the eighties, Arachne- we haven't been able to find a last name- was in her twenties and already running a highly successful illegal weapons organization here in Death City and other cities around the U.S. One day during a raid on one of her warehouses, she just disappeared. Her sister, Medusa who had married and adopted the last name Gorgon, meanwhile seemed to be completely innocent. It was learned about two years ago however, that Medusa had been experimenting on creating drugs. Once it was discovered that she was using her position as the school nurse at the DWMA to test her experimental drugs on the students she was arrested. The charges didn't stick and she moved to the outskirts of town, not putting a toe out of line until now.

From the looks of the drugs the two had in their systems, they took a steroid combined with a hallucinogen. The steroid being perfected by Medusa and called 'Black Blood' due to its strength, and the hallucinogen being a common and easy to obtain type of LSD. They combined the two to create a drug they're distributing and calling 'Madness.' We've managed to catch many people with the drug already, many having increased strength that counteracts the normal weakness associated with LSD."

"Is it possible to think that Asura is taking this drug too?" Maka asked, her face showing the overdrive her brain was going through, "And if they're distributing the drug, shouldn't we be able to trace where they're coming from?"

"Not so easily," Soul interjected, "They're most likely selling them out on the streets, passing them off as a normal LSD."

"As for your other question, yes it is safe to assume that Asura is taking the drug as well," Kid added. They all looked around at one another before Maka opened her mouth widely, yawning. When she closed her mouth her eyes were wide with shock and she giggled.

"I think I'm still pretty wiped out," She said slyly.

"That's alright, I've gotta get this kiddo back into bed," Liz said, then winked at Maka, "Because unlike certain slackers she still has school in the morning. Plus if Kid doesn't get home and in bed exactly at eight then he freaks out and has to wait for 11:11, the next most even number. Trust me, you don't want to deal with either of us after one of those nights. So we'll head off then."

"Bye Maka!" Patty grinned, hugging her around the neck carefully before leaping out of the room. Kid and Liz said their good-byes as well, Black*Star and Tsubaki heading out an hour later.

"Go to sleep Bookworm," Soul said, getting up to leave the room.

"It's only eight-thirty!" Maka protested. Soul turned around and ruffled her hair affectionately with a half-smile that made Maka's cheeks burn.

"You're yawning and tired eyes say something completely different. Get some sleep, if you need anything just call for me in the other room. And if you can't sleep I took the book out of your backpack and put it on the bedside table," Soul said as he left the room. He didn't close the door quite all the way, just in case he had to hear Maka calling for him. Maka looked with stunned eyes towards the table, and indeed found the book. Then she slid under the covers, laying on her side, and cuddled down into the comfortable sheets that smelled of the attractive albino she'd already grown accustomed to having in her life.

* * *

It was a few hours later, about eleven, and Soul was just drifting off to sleep after discarding all of his clothes but his boxers for the night, when he heard a scream rip through the air. He jerked up on the couch and took one looked around his apartment before sprinting to his bedroom and by Maka's side. He panted and surveyed the now silent room when Maka screamed again. He finally looked at her and noticed her sitting on the bed, her face contorted in fear and her eyes wide open. Soul looked to the foot of the bed and saw a python slithering its way up the bed. Without a second's hesitation Soul had opened the window and thrown the snake out then slammed it shut again. He looked back at Maka who looked so young and almost fragile in that moment that his heart went out to her.

"Maka?" She didn't look at him, "Maka?!" After saying her name multiple times, she finally turned her eyes towards him, but he could tell she was obviously in the grips of whatever nightmare that snake had put her into, "Maka are you alright?"

It took a few moments, but Maka finally was able to relax and allow her breathing, which was erratic, to even out. After another moment she was able to answer him, "I'm fine. I noticed the snake when it crawled in through the window so it didn't do anything to me."

"Alright," Soul said awkwardly, unaware as to what to do to really comfort the girl, "I'm going to-"

"Please don't go," Maka whispered softly. Soul almost hadn't heard her, but when he turned around and looked at her she had her gaze focused on the bedspread and her cheeks were a slight pink. Even though Soul found it endearingly innocent that she would blush around him, the pessimistic part of him told him it was most likely only from the screaming.

"Okay," He sighed, "Scoot over then." He was delighted when Maka's head snapped up and her face was a brighter pink. _Maybe she does have a little crush on me if she's lighting up like that._

"Wh-what?!" Maka squeaked, "I meant sleeping on the floor, not wi-with me!"

"Nuh-uh, the floor hurts. Plus that bed is big enough for the two of us to sleep in comfortably," _However I can't guarantee that you'll wake up in the morning how we fall asleep…_

"Bu-but," Maka still protested, but gave up once Soul grabbed the end of the comforter and lifted in, settling into his bed, "Hey! Your feet are freezing cold!"

"Well I've had to stand out there for forever while you made up your damn mind, so excuse me for having cold feet!" The two squirmed around for a few minutes in an attempt to get comfortable with as minimal touching as possible. Finally, when Maka had accidently turned onto her back, Soul groaned and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her onto her stomach and laying her head on his bare chest. Maka pulled back in surprise, but the muscular arm around her waist prevented that.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" She squeaked at the amused albino.

"You're not going to get sleep if you keep rolling around on your back, plus this works better so we can have a bit more room from the edges of the bed."

_Great,_ Maka thought, _now I'm not going to be getting any sleep tonight because of you! Who in their right mind puts the head of a highly impressionable teenage girl on the extremely muscular chest of a male?!_ While Maka lay stiff as a board and lost in her thoughts, Soul smirked at the younger girl in his arms. He had to admit, he'd been scared to see how she'd react, but the result was worth it. The only thing that worried him was the fact that if Maka stayed this tense then she wouldn't be sleeping tonight. While he wracked his brain for a solution to the problem, he began to absentmindedly drum a rhythm on Maka's waist. He finally noticed she was relaxing when she hummed in contentment and the vibrations on his chest startled him.

"Hmmm, don't stop," Maka sighed sleepily.

Soul grinned fully, "Alright, if you insist."

"Soul? Why'd ya quit playin' the piano?" Maka's eyes were completely closed and she was on the edge of sleep by now.

"I'll explain in the mornin', how 'bout that?" Soul said and Maka nodded her head. Soon enough she was asleep, and Soul was drifting off himself from the long and eventful day they'd had.

Both of them were unaware of the hulking man outside the window, gripping the ledge and lips curled into a snarl at the sight in front of him. He was covered in tattoos and had strange eyes, but if that didn't make the man creepy, then the seemingly murderous aura around him did. He barked out a contemptuous laugh before leaping from the ledge and running off down the dark streets into the night.

* * *

The next morning was another strange awakening for Maka. Not only was she still in Soul's room in his bed, but she was sleeping with said man in his shirt while he was only in his boxers. She had to double check and make sure she was still wearing her underwear and bra, and when she did, she stiffened again. _What happened last night after I fell asleep once the snake was thrown out?_

To put things simply, the two young people looked exactly like a couple would look when the slept together. _Not SLEPT together slept together, but actually sleeping with one another in the same bed! Wait, why am I justifying this to myself?_ Maka's thoughts were racing. Her head was still resting on Soul's chest, although now she was covering most of his body with hers. Their legs were wrapped around each other and her hips were angled just slightly off center of Soul's. His head was buried in her hair and she sighed at the nice feeling of it, almost falling asleep again from the comfort if it hadn't been for Soul waking up.

"Maka, are you up yet?" Soul asked gently. Maka nodded, to horrified to look at Soul's face. After she'd denied wanting to sleep in the same bed as the man, she'd wound up… wound up around him! "Okay, then do you mind getting up so I can heat up some toaster waffles for breakfast?" With that Maka had scrambled over to the side and away from Soul in a flash, not even caring she had rolled over her back in the process.

"I'll be up in a minute or two, I just want to stretch out my back a bit," Maka said, still avoiding looking at Soul. He grunted in reply and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Maka got up, grabbed a change of clothes from her bag by the desk and went to change. Once she'd gotten back and was putting her stuff away, Maka noticed the keyboard on the desk again. The murmured to himself, "He promised to tell me why he gave up the piano…"

Maka turned around and hurried out to the kitchen, taking in the rest of Soul's apartment. It looked like it was supposed to be homey: the red leather couch and coffee table, along with a big T.V. stand. The kitchen was only partially closed off, and Maka could see Soul pulling the last few waffles out of the toaster. She walked in and sat at the table just as Soul turned around, "Hungry?" He smirked then grinned as Maka dug into the food with gusto.

"So Soul," Maka swallowed her bite, "Why did you give up piano?"

"Oh, you actually remembered that part, huh?" Soul looked off and scratched his neck. He knew he'd give in if Maka pushed him, it was hard to say no to her innocent features and contradicting stubborn personality.

"Of course I did!" Maka sniffed, "Now explain."

"Alright, well you remember I was pretty good at piano, only, being pretty good wasn't enough for my parents. My brother Wes was a genius at playing the violin, and while we both could easily master a piece and play it, he could compose his own scores that were amazing. Apparently my parents didn't want to settle for a violin genius and piano prodigy*, they wanted two genius musical kids, so they pushed me to write my own piece. The styles of music I used were frowned upon by my parents, and when it was finally finished a month after my graduation and I played it for them, they were horrified. Wes liked the piece, he enjoyed the darkness the piece was meant to convey, but my parents hated that it turned away from traditional music. So they told me I had two choices: 1.) Learn a new instrument or 2.) Leave the family and be disowned by my parents. I obviously didn't want to go with choice one after I'd been working at the piano for eighteen years so I chose number two."

"Soul," Maka gasped softly, but the male wasn't done yet.

"Last year I decided to start playing again, but no matter how I wrote the pieces they always turned out dark. So I picked up a guitar and have been learning that as well," Soul finally finished. It felt good to get all of that off his chest after so long, he hadn't even told Black*Star the full story.

"That's amazing Soul," Maka looked at him with shining eyes and Soul felt the tips of his ears get warm.

"Now you owe me. What's the whole story between you and your old man?"

"Oh, nothing," Maka instantly clammed up, but Soul noticed the annoyed tic in her jaw.

"Come on, fair's fair Maka," He drawled. Maka turned her head away and Soul reached out, grabbing her shoulder and turning him towards him again. When she simply tilted her face away Soul grabbed her chin and looked her in the eyes, "Look Maka, we need to be able to trust each other. I trusted you enough to tell you my biggest secret, do you trust me enough to keep yours?"

"Not really," Maka averted her eyes.

"Yet you trust me with your life?"

"Low blow Soul, low blow."

"But it's true. You'd trust me to save your life, which I have by the way, yet you still won't trust me with a simple story?" Soul looked at her then added, "Please?"

"Fine," Maka relented, "My parents were only eighteen when I was born, and although they were convinced they loved each other and they should keep the baby, their marriage quickly deteriorated and by the time I was six they were divorced, my father having flirted with multiple women during their short time together. My mother just left one day, going and travelling abroad and I've rarely heard from her since. I get the occasional postcard through the Police Station, but it's been months since the last one. It was written in a language I didn't recognize and when I asked Stein he said it translated to 'bravery.' Even though I hope she'll come back, will she still be the strong, proud woman I remember from my childhood?"

"Of course not, because she never was." Soul's snort caused Maka's head to snap towards his. At her surprised look he explained, "She left her child in the care of a womanizing police officer who wouldn't be able to offer any stable hours to care for her with his job. While I'm not suggesting she take you with her since that'd probably be worse, she could have at least stayed until you were old enough to understand and take care of yourself better. Any way you think about it, it wasn't strong to do that, but it was her pride that got in the way," After saying his bit Soul grabbed the now abandoned plates from the table and carried them to the sink to wash them.

Maka sat for a while, almost an hour, sitting and thinking about what Soul had said. And he was right, no matter what perspective she took on the matter. Once she had finally thought about it all she could, she stood up, walked to the living room where Soul was already situated and sat down right next to him, leaning on him as she refused to let her tears escape. He slung an arm around her and they sat there in silence, until a while later when a funny movie was on and they were first chuckling, then soon laughing once again, their tell-all morning behind them now, and they were feeling better because of it.

* * *

_Cue the 'Aww's" now. I had to find a cute way to shove the trust there somehow, and a late-night promise after a long day may seem too quick, but then I remembered, 'Oh yeah, I'm the author here,' and plus the I'm-the-one-keeping-you-alive relationship would speed that up. Another busy week but I'm trying to keep on trucking here with this story. Sorry if the conversation with everyone is a bit boring, but I had to fit in the background information on Medusa and Arachne somehow… so I had one cute, yet quite pale, young man do it for me! Until next update,_

_- Charlotte!_


	6. Chapter 5

_Heh, long time no writing… In my defense however, I've been sick and sleeping so much lately I may or may not have been slightly comatose for a while there. But (finally) here is the next update!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or its characters._

* * *

The next two weeks passed comfortably and peacefully for Soul and Maka after their impromptu confession session. They fell into an easy friendship, easily able to tell the other most of their preferences with no issues of whether or not they may be insulting the other.

* * *

Soul despised the documentary Maka was making him watch. Granted she didn't like it either and was being forced to watch it for school, but why did he have to watch it too? He only saw one way to entertain himself: distract Maka. He dropped his head onto her lap, and she began absentmindedly playing with his hair, but she still didn't look down at him. Then he began drumming his fingers on her leg in the rhythm of a song he was currently writing, and got a content sigh in return. Finally he was forced to bring out the big guns.

"Back when I was a senior in high school," Soul started out slowly as Maka moved her focus of attention, "'Star and I spent most of our spare time not in sports getting into trouble. Not just the cool graffiti we left behind for future generations to look up to, but plotting planks that everyone would remember forever."

"You're the ones who put all the salmon in the toilets?" Maka gasped, looking down sharply and Soul smirked up lazily.

"Yeah, it was such a waste of money and good food. I personally wanted to go with goldfish, but 'Star insisted on the salmon. I was all for making the salmon into sushi."

"Ew, raw fish is disgusting!"

"I thought you were half Japanese," Soul deadpanned.

"That's pretty stereotypical Soul," Maka stuck her tongue out, "Besides, my mama came here when she was younger too so I never really grew up with any Japanese influences. But the more important topic is how did you two never get caught?"

"The same way we drank and smoked pot; we never told anyone and never got caught doing it."

"You smoked weed?!" Maka stopped moving her hand through his hair.

"Only once, smoking isn't cool," Soul pulled a face.

"Maka…"

"Oh shit!"

"CHOP!"

* * *

Now it was the most important day in any high school senior's life- graduation day. Liz, Tsubaki, Patty and Blair had been in Soul's apartment since seven a.m. to help an unwilling Maka get ready for the eleven o'clock ceremony. Soul had been banished to the kitchen after being rudely awakened by the grinning females and now for the past hour he'd been listening to Maka's protests as the other women helped her to, as Liz put it, "beautify" herself.

"No! Don't put that near there! LIZ!" Soul cringed and tried to not imagine where whatever Maka was protesting was going. As he peeked into the refrigerator to look for food to offer the to the women, he was interrupted by a soft caress on his spine.

"Hey Souly," a soft voice purred in his ear. He stiffened and tried to unnoticeably escape the prison he had unwittingly placed himself in, "While the others are busy do you wanna play with Blair?"

"Uh, um well as mu-much fun as that sounds I'd rather not!" Soul stuttered, his voice squeaking at the end when Blair placed her hand a little too far south on his backside than he felt comfortable with.

"BLAIR! Catch Maka, she's escaped," Liz called through the apartment.

"We'll finish this discussion later," Blair purred one last time before patting Soul's rear end. Then she sauntered out of the room to help look for Maka.

"I'm not looking forward to that," Soul muttered and turned around. He saw Maka staring at him with a scowl on her face. However Soul didn't notice this, he only noticed what she was wearing, or rather the lack of. She was clad only in tight spandex and a camisole, both black and flaunting her lean figure and long legs, "Maka!"

"We don't have time for that, hide me!" Maka rushed into the kitchen and pushed him down into a chair at the table. The she crawled underneath the tablecloth, "I'll put my hand on your foot, when they come in here nudge my hand so I can hide."

"F-fine," Soul said, attempting not to blush at the positioning. Luckily for him Liz chose that moment to storm in.

"Where's Maka?" Liz asked, her eyes ablaze.

"Not a clue, although I thought that I might have heard the front door open," Soul replied smoothly. Liz nodded before running back to his room and gathering the other girls. All of them except for Tsubaki left in search of Maka. Tsubaki walked into the kitchen smiling gently.

"It's alright to come out Maka, they're all gone," Tsubaki said sweetly. Maka peeked out from under the tablecloth and fully emerged when she realized Tsubaki was telling the truth.

"I told Liz that waxing there was unneeded and I didn't want to," Maka grumbled, "Will you help me finish getting ready? I have to be at the school by ten and it's already eight-thirty."

"No problem Maka," Tsubaki smiled again and led Maka back into Soul's room.

They emerged an hour later, and Soul was amazed at the transformation. Maka was wearing a black dress that went down to her knees and was held up by two spaghetti straps, showcasing both her long legs and smooth skin.

"Let's go Soul, I need to get there in half an hour and I don't want to be late!" Maka pulled his hand and led him out of the apartment with Tsubaki following behind. Black*Star was waiting for them out in the hallway and together the four of them made their way to the school, choosing to walk and enjoy the nice day. Once there Soul, Tsubaki and Black*Star all sat down, astounded by the number of people already sitting. The majority of the police force arrived in the time before the ceremony began, leaving only those who didn't really know Maka behind. It was a relatively quick ceremony, only a short speech from the Headmaster and a few words of encouragement from the top student (who was of course Maka, leaving a steaming Ox to be comforted by Kim) then they began listing all of the names of the graduates, who walked up and collected their diplomas before walking back off. Thankfully Maka was at the beginning of the alphabet so Soul only had to pay attention for a short amount of time then goof off with Black*Star.

Once they were finally allowed to leave, Soul immediately searched for Maka's face in the crowd, easily finding her then maneuvering his body next to hers. Her father was in tears where she left him in the corner and Maka firmly kept her eyes trained away from him, "Hey Bookworm," She looked up at Soul as he slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a one-armed hug, "Congrats."

"Thanks! I didn't know I was actually giving a speech today so I feel as if thou-" Maka began babbling before Black*Star cut her off.

"MY BIGGEST FOLLOWER IS NOT LONGER A HIGH SCHOOLER! NOW SHE'S-URK!" Black*Star got cut off by a thrown book.

"He tries to make my big day about him," Maka ground out, her eyebrow twitching.

"Calm down, you know how he is," Soul smirked as Maka turned her glare to him. He put his hands up in mock surrender, "Hey sorry!" Soul poked her nose and the two began a poking war, not noticing the pictures Soul's fellow policemen were taking to use as blackmail.

Liz sidled up to Kid and whispered in his ear, "Looks like those two are getting pretty close, huh?"

"Indeed," Kid mused, "Who knows, since Maka's been planning on becoming a detective since age six and Tsubaki has recently been considering becoming a police officer, we may have just found Soul a new partner."

"Really?" Liz looked at Kid in surprise, "I didn't know Tsubaki was planning that."

"She's only told Black*Star and Chief Albarn. The only reason I know this because I overheard their conversation," Kid stated, moving his gaze over towards Liz. For the past few months he'd been doing that, and when he'd talked to Maka about it she simply giggled and stated how he was growing up. He still had no idea what either of those things meant…

* * *

Two hours later Maka and all of the other police officers were back at the precinct having a party to celebrate Maka's graduation. Things were in full swing, when Sid came running into the room panting and clutching a deep cut on his side, "Chrona and Ragnarok have escaped from their cells." Then he collapsed, thankfully still conscious, and multiple people ran to help him.

"Chrona!" Maka gasped and ran down the hallway to where the holding cells were. Soul cursed and followed her, running at top speed and barely able to keep up with the lithe girl. She finally stopped when they reached their destination. Chrona stood with a maniacal grin on his face and Ragnarok held a large knife in his hand. How he managed to get a hold of the knife Soul would never find out. As soon as they got there, Ragnarok ran at them with the knife held in front of him. Maka stood still from shock and Soul jumped in front of her, feeling the knife cut across his chest. It took Maka a few precious seconds to fully comprehend what happened.

"SOUL!" Maka screamed loudly, gaining the attention of everyone upstairs. Her father swore and sprinted down to where the scream was heard, Stein not too far behind. Meanwhile Maka sat on the floor, Soul's head on her lap, looking up at her crazed friend with wide eyes. Soul's breathing was shallow and Maka felt his pulse getting weaker. Ragnarok began making his way towards her again when a gunshot rang out from behind her and Maka heard her father shouting at Chrona to get down on the ground. Chrona wasn't paying attention, giggling at all of the blood around him.

"I said get down dammit!" Spirit bit out. He moved his finger back to the trigger before Maka stopped him.

"Papa don't shoot him! Let me try talking to Chrona, he doesn't trust many people but maybe he'll listen to me," Maka said from her position on the floor. Stein noticed Soul's injuries and immediately began checking out his wounds, "He'll be alright, won't he Stein?"

"As long as we can get him to a hospital soon he will be," Stein said, not bothering to look at Maka as he worked. He knew she wouldn't take it personally, that thought being proven correct when Maka slowly got up and began walking towards her friend who was still laughing crazily, looking at the spilled blood around them.

"Chrona, it's me Maka. Remember me? We've been friends all through high school. I'm the one you told about your mom, and I'm the one who helped you try and get away from that. Are you okay Chrona? If you don't hurt anyone now you can probably walk away from this without any charges that would send you to prison as long as you cooperate with us," Maka spoke soothingly and slowly Chrona looked up and away from the blood on the tile floor.

"M-Maka?" Chrona's eyes widened in fear as he realized what had happened, "Medusa did it again! I can't handle this anymore, Medusa promised she wouldn't make Ragnarok and I take the Black blood anymore."

"Chrona," Maka said and moved in to hug the boy. Her arms wrapped around his torso as the boy began shaking and crying, "Shh, it'll be alright." She nodded to her father who lowered his weapon and called up to call for an ambulance, two injured. Maka pried herself away from Chrona and led him over to his cell once more, "You have to stay here for a while but these people are my friends and they won't hurt you if you don't give them reason to, alright?"

Chrona nodded and Maka turned around. She quickly made her way over to Soul and knelt down next to him. She sat there guiltily until the ambulance arrived, then sat in the bullpen of the precinct, waiting for Black*Star or Tsubaki or even Kid. The first to arrive was Tsubaki with a change of clothes, who hugged Maka tightly before ushering her to get changed. Once Maka was in different clothes Black*Star and Kid had arrived with Liz and Patty and the group made their way to the hospital where Soul was being treated.

They sat in the waiting room for news on Soul's condition, each distracting themselves in their own way. Kid adjusted the paintings so they were perfectly even on the walls, Liz absentmindedly flipping through a magazine, Patty folding another into origami animals, Black*Star was doing pushups in one corner with Tsubaki next to him on a chair counting. Maka sat on a chair with her arms wrapped around her legs, squeezing them to her chest and resting her head on her knees while she was lost in thought.

_It's all my fault. If I hadn't gone running down there like that, and if I'd been paying attention to Ragnarok then Soul wouldn't have been hurt._ Maka lifted her head up as a blue-haired nurse walked quickly down the hallway from the direction of Soul's room. She scrambled off the chair and rushed over to the nurse who jumped in surprise.

"Is he alright? I'm here for Soul Eater Evans, is he still in surgery?" Maka asked, grabbing the woman's arms.

"EEP! I'm n-not his nurse, I wouldn't know!" The blue-haired woman pulled out of Maka's grasp and rushed down the hallway where a hulking mass of a man, probably her boyfriend Maka surmised, stood waiting for her. Maka sighed and sat back down when Stein came out from the surgery area with news, tired, but optimistic about Soul's recovery.

"He'll have to take it very easy for the next two weeks, but he should be fine in no time. You're welcome to go in and see him if you want, but the doctor says only family for now," Stein smiled deviously, "So I told him to shut the hell up, that you guys are his cousins. So if questioned, that's the background."

"Thank you Stein!" Maka pulled the older man into a tight hug before rushing off to find the person she could easily call her best friend. The others followed behind her, slightly slower, so Maka was the first to claim a spot right next to Soul. She grabbed his hand and held on to it tightly, sitting in a bedside chair. Murmuring quiet apologies to the unconscious man, Maka spent the rest of the night there, eventually falling asleep with her head next to Soul's, Tsubaki covering her with a spare blanket.

* * *

"So Eruka, I imagine it all went according to plan? You injected the capsule into the boy's vein to be released whenever I press the button?" Medusa Gorgon asked from the shadows. Her eyes were slits like a snake's, but they caught every movement her blue-haired lackey made. Currently, much to Medusa's amusement, she was fidgeting uncomfortably next to the huge man beside her.

"Yes Medusa, I injected it into his neck just like you said to, close enough to the hairline so no one notices," Eruka replied.

"Perfect, my sister may think she has the upper hand between the two of us, but I'll prove to her she doesn't! Next on my list of victims is the pesky Stein, he's the only one who'd ever pose an actual threat to me with his skills. I know just how to take care of him," Medusa's expression twisted into a smile of pure evil and Eruka shuddered.

* * *

_Done with this chapter! Again, sorry it took so long, but at one point during the past week and a half my motivation was lost, then I got sick, and now I have speech! D: I'm not a happy camper currently, but I will attempt to post as much as I can!_

_-Charlotte_


	7. Chapter 6

_I know, I know: I have no excuse for not updating in the past… I don't even remember when I put the last chapter up. That's just plain sad on my part, and that hiatus was completely unplanned due to reasons explained in the note at the end. Okay, so now that that had been taken care of here's the next chapter. I had gotten a review about the last chapter stating that it was moving kind of quickly and I'm sorry if some of you feel that way. However, this story in my mind isn't actually too much longer, five chapters and then an epilogue most likely._

_I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed my story, particularly my first reviewer _TheWalkingGnome._ Please keep the reviews up, I love to hear what you have to say!_

* * *

When Soul woke up, he felt like he had a hangover of the worst kind, worse than after his 21st birthday bash and Black*Star had made him keep up on the shot count. His tongue felt fuzzy and cumbersome in his mouth and he groaned at the jackhammer chipping at his head. As he slowly regained his bearings, Soul took a full assessment of his body and groaned at the pain he felt covering his entire body It was as if though he'd decided to take a dive off a cliff into water filled with rocks. Pointy rocks.

"Soul?" God who was trying to talk to him now? He already felt like death and the talking was just making the jackhammer chip away harder, "Soul, are you waking up?"

"Sh'up," Soul moaned, starting to blink open bleary eyes. The person who was next to him huffed and Soul couldn't help a lazy smirk crossing his features. He had a pretty good idea who was sitting next to him, and knew Maka hated being told to shut up.

"I will not shut up Soul, now open your mouth so I can give you some water," Soul complied and felt relief as soon as the straw was put in his mouth and he sucked the water up until the straw was yanked from his mouth, "Woah, not so fast or else you'll get sick. I'll give you some more in a few minutes," Maka trailed off and Soul blinked in surprise. She looked guiltily at her hands which were clasped on her knees.

"You alright Maka? You seem kinda down… you didn't get hurt did you?" Soul tried to sit up more but winced when the movement pulled at his stitches, "I swear if Chrona or Ragnarok laid a hand on you, I'll-"

"I'm fine Soul! I just- you see- I mean… it's all my fault you got hurt! If I had moved away in time then you wouldn't have-"

"I'm like this because it was my fault so don't feel so damn depressed," Soul scowled. Maka looked down again and quickly shuffled out of the room, mumbling something about going to get some food. Soul flopped back onto the hard hospital bed and groaned at his own stupidity, "Damn it, I just made her worry about it more."

A nurse bustles in shortly after, looking like a busybody to Soul, "Alright Mr. Evans-"

"Eater, I haven't gone by Evans for a long time and I won't start now," Soul interrupted without batting an eye.

"Fine, Eater then. We've kept you in a medicine induced sleep for the past three days just to make sure you didn't move too much and open your stitches. You may feel a bit thirsty and hungry, but we've had you on IV's so it shouldn't be too bad. The good news is that after a few tests today, you're free to go home as we've kept you under, _but_ once you get home you have to take it very easy for two weeks minimum, then work your way up to strenuous tasks. Now, I'll help you up so we can see your stitches," The nurse moved around the bed to help Soul sit up and he was shocked to find that he was wearing his favorite sweatpants under the hospital gown. He felt sick for a moment as he realized Maka wouldn't have had him around for three days to tell her what he said earlier, that it wasn't her fault and she shouldn't blame herself. Then she goes and brings him his favorite sweats and has to watch him lying on a bed, practically dead, with all of that guilt.

Soul sat up and slowly swung his legs off the edge of the bed with a groan. He easily slipped the hospital gown off his shoulders and slouched on the bed, much to the nurse's annoyance, as she performed her check-up. He thought of the different ways he could convince Maka the inevitable scar that would come from this injury wasn't her fault. He was just thinking about how he would sit her down and what do say when Maka burst into the room, looking happier than she previously had.

"Soul! I just-" She stopped suddenly as she got a good look at the stitches running jaggedly across his chest and quickly averted her eyes, "I just found out you're getting released today."

"As long as he takes it very easy for the next two weeks," The nurse smiled softly then left the room, leaving the two young people alone. She wasn't a psychiatrist, but years of working on the ICU and then moving to the recovery rooms allowed her to know when hurt people, whether emotionally or physically hurt, needed to talk things out. It would take a while if the haunted look in the girl's eyes were anything to go off of, but the nurse knew those two would work past it, they both looked stubborn.

Meanwhile, unaware of the nurse's mental observations, Soul and Maka were quietly getting ready to leave. Make handed Soul his favorite faded orange t-shirt while carefully avoiding looking at him, "Here's your shirt. Let's go, Kid insisted on letting us borrow his car so we wouldn't have to ride your motorcycle and jostle your… injury." The two made their way into the nurse's desk where Soul signed the release forms and after receiving strict instructions and a sheet with any information or questions they might have, found themselves riding down a crowded elevator to the street. Then they walked into the sunny afternoon where a black car was waiting for them, a driver and everything.

Settling in the backseat, Soul groaned in relief, "The luxuries of having a rich friend." He looked over at Maka who was sitting stiffly, looking only at her hands. He sighed, running a hand through his hair at this unsettling, guilty version of Maka. The entire car ride was silent, much to both of their dismay, until eventually they arrived at the apartment. Maka opened the door for Soul, who walked in slowly, enjoying the feeling of being in his own home again.

"YAHOO! MY NUMBER ONE MAN IS BACK! How could you leave your god for so long Soul?" Black*Star asked loudly, standing on Soul's couch. Everyone shook their heads and Maka chucked a book she kept next to the door at his head.

"We all should have seen that coming," Liz grinned from the couch next to Kid, "After all, it _is_ all about Black*Star."

Maka only huffed, her cheeks puffing out, and turned to Soul, her eyes looking a little more life-like now, "When we found out you were being released today we wanted to have a little get together to surprise you. You're not mad are you?" Her eyes searched his, looking for an answer then moved to the kitchen after Soul shook his head dumbly, "Oh, and I almost forgot! Papa sent over a bunch of files on Arachne, Medusa and Asura for you, meaning us, to look over." True to her word, there were layers of manila folders spread over the kitchen table.

"This is a nice little place," Kid said suddenly as he glanced around the combined living room, dining room and kitchen, "Not symmetrical in any way, but clean."

The night passed with laughs, stories and Maka Chops shared between the group of seven young people. The bond slowly strengthened between them all, unknown to them it was preparing them for the rough road to come in the near future.

* * *

For two weeks Soul and Maka stayed in his apartment, orders from Spirit, and left only for food. Their friends always came to visit, bringing treats and gossip with. The rest of the time was spent pouring over the files, looking desperately for any signs of where their three targets may be hiding out. After those two weeks it was another week of desk duty for Soul before anything popped up. He and Maka were sitting at his desk when they both looked up.

"I know where-" They both started, but Soul gestured for Maka to continue.

"I know where Arachne might be! She has this warehouse out in the industrial part of town that she bought way back before going underground. It was reported to have burned down, but look at this," She handed him a picture from a satellite that showed multiple warehouses, one of which was circled in red marker, "There's still a warehouse there! I'll bet that's where Arachne is hiding out with Asura," Maka smiled brightly, her whole demeanor showing her excitement. Soul took one glance at her and felt his ears light up and the smile that was thrown his way. He had forgotten what that bright smile looked like when directed at him.

"Well I've got a lead on Medusa and her lab. Old apartment building out in the bad part of town she used to live in where multiple people were reported dead from being beaten up by a person who would then OD a short time later. According to witnesses the person has super strength," Soul looked up from his folders, a smirk firmly in place, "So in other words we should send Stein there to check out the lab, see if he can find any traces of Black Blood there and we'll grab the gang and go to investigate this warehouse."

"I don't know Soul, you're just getting off desk duty. Don't you think that maybe you should be taking it easy?" Maka asked, unsure.

"And let you, an untrained- alright unofficially trained girl- go after the _one_ person who wants to kill you? No way!"

"You seem to have forgotten Mr. High and Mighty, that I've lived in this world my entire life! I was born practically reciting the Miranda rights, I could shoot and handle a gun, disarm a guy and throw a knife before I even got into middle school! Besides, I can distract Asura while one of you guys-"

"Soul, Maka," Kid interrupted before they could cause a scene, "Why don't we discuss this with my father and Spirit in his office?" He led the two of them down the hallway to Spirit's office and they all entered, standing along the wall.

"We know possible hiding places for both Arachne and Medusa," Maka started right away, not making eye contact with Soul once while she explained their findings.

"None of you are going near that place," Spirit snapped, "A bunch of rookies against those three criminal masterminds? You wouldn't stand a chance, no matter how good you think you may be. I'll call Azuza's team as well as Justin's team and have them help of the sting against Arachne and have Stein investigate Medusa's old apartment."

"But-" Maka started protesting.

"No buts Maka. I said no and I mean no, now go home and rest, you've done plenty of research for the day," Spirit dismissed them. The two left the room, a rebellious glare in Maka's eyes, a determined smirk firmly on Soul's face and a look of resignation on Kid's. They met Liz and Black*Star on their way out of the room.

"We're going in, aren't we?" Kid sighed.

"Oh yeah," Soul smirked even wider.

"YA- oof!- hoo!" Black*Star yelled then whispered as Maka elbowed him in the gut, "I'll go get Tsubaki and as many of the files as I can snatch before they take all of our research."

"I'll grab Patty, she's used to handling guns from our time on the streets, and the more weapon-trained people we have, the better. C'mon Kid, we could use your help with getting ahold of weapons and an okay from your father. If we're going to do this, we have to jump up the ladder past Spirit and right to the big guns."

The three began to walk off with their jobs in mind, but Soul stopped all of them, "We can't talk here or at any of our apartments. We'll go out for lunch, that little café down a few streets. And remember, not a word to _anyone_." They nodded and parted ways.

"You ready for this Soul? Let's run to our apartment first so I can change into some better clothes," Maka trailed off as she realized Soul had stopped and was staring at her with a veiled look. Her heart fluttered a bit at the almost predatory look in his eyes, "Wh-What?"

"You said our," He drawled. Maka tilted her head, an adorable look in Soul's mind, as she processed her statement. Her cheeks pinked as she realized her mistake and Soul began stalking toward her with a smirk and that look in his eyes, "You said our apartment. When'd you get so comfy cozy there?" Maka stepped backwards, cursing her inattentiveness to the situation and having found herself in an empty hallway.

"W-well I've been staying there for over a month and," She gasped as her back hit the wall, "My apartment probably won't be too comfortable anymore since I've almost been killed there twice- EEP! Soul, thi-mmrpf!" Soul kept advancing until finally he was lightly pressed against her body. He felt the tips of his ears burn but played it cool as he splayed the fingers of his left hand on her waist as he covered her mouth with the other.

"And?"

"It's a nice location?" Maka mumbled through his hand.

"Try again," Soul prompted and drew a small circle on her hip to distract her. They both knew the real reason, it'd be weird and nearly impossible to live without the other now that they'd gotten comfortable. Maka woke Soul up every morning with breakfast and a smile- or a Maka Chop depending on how tired they were- and Soul helped Maka study for her fast track program at Shibusen, the first to try and go through the system like that since her parents. They both were used to collapsing on the couch after long days of working and just talking or resting, her head on his shoulder or his head on her lap. They'd gotten close in the short amount of time they'd known each other, Soul coming out of his shell and Maka even getting past her bias of men, but neither would admit to their true feelings...yet.

"Hey Kid was wondering if you had any- oops!" Maka peered around Soul to find Patty giggling, "I'll just tell Kid you don't have a specific table in mind. Don't take two long you two!" Patty sang and ran off, probably to tell the others. Maka sighed in relief and used the distraction to slip past Soul, who was mentally cursing Patty and her bad timing.

"We're coming now!" Maka called and hurried after the younger girl before she could spread lies to their friends. Soul followed closely behind and threw an arm around Maka's waist once he caught up to her, enjoying the renewed blush and squeak that resulted from his action.

"Let's go eat lunch!" Soul grinned at Maka, who smiled in return.

* * *

"If I'm correct then the police should be coming to raid the warehouse soon. Asura dear, we have to change locations. I know that this place has the security system, but we can't risk being caught quite yet," Arachne said to the man sitting on the king-sized bed. He looked at her, his eyes alternating between crazed and relaxed which was worrying the crime boss. She knew he was strung out on Black Blood, but she was worried the amount he was taking was too high.

"No, I don't want to," Asura said slowly, a sick grin twisting his features before he plunged the hidden knife in his hand into Arachne's chest and straight into her heart, killing her instantly, "You all are insects under my feet, waiting to be crushed. There is nothing to fear in this world, and I will teach everyone that."

* * *

_Once again I am so sorry for the unplanned delay, I took my first AP test so any free time I had between work, my play and speech was dedicated to studying and practice tests/essays. The good news is that there's only 9 days left of school for me, so once school ends the updates should be more frequent, although I only have a few more chapters planned. Please review, any commentary is appreciated whether it's praise or critique. Until later!_

_- Charlotte_


	8. Chapter 7

_I'm back! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and please keep doing so, I love getting feedback on my stories. Now for what you're really here for: the story. _

_Disclaimer: Same as past chapters, I don't own Soul Eater I just use the characters until I get sick of them… which is never._

_**ANNOUNCEMENT**__: I will be cleaning up the previous chapters! Nothing major of plot changing, but since this is unbeta'd I figured they could use a good clean up… I'm very accident prone and I couldn't help but cringe while reading some of the previous chapters._

* * *

The group was getting comfortable at their table when they finally decided to start planning. They all looked at each other for a moment before allowing Black*Star to speak first, serious for once in his life.

"Alright, so the most important thing to worry about is Asura himself. By this point it's very likely that's he's strung out on Black Blood so we'll have to use stealth, like my ninja skills! Kidding, kidding," Black*Star said with a pout as Maka raised a book threateningly.

"So what're we waiting for?" Liz looked at her friends' faces," I mean they're gonna start that sting on the warehouse as soon as Justin and Azusa are ready with their teams and they're both really fast."

"Yes but right now Azusa is two cities over so it'll take her about an hour to get here. Assuming Spirit called her right after we left her office she should be here in roughly twenty minutes, not including getting the teams ready. So that means we can have a very light lunch while planning then we have to hurry there," Kid said. Their waitress arrived with their food and the seven of them began to eat quickly.

"Okay," Maka started, "We need to go in in pairs and one group of three so we don't trip the sensors at all. I'd suggest Patty and Liz with Kid as group one to sneak in through the supply doors where there'll be plenty of cover for you guys, Black*Star and Tsubaki who both have some martial arts training to go in through the upper floors and clear that area then Soul and I will come in through the main doors preventing escape from that entrance. From there-"

"We surround Asura and or Arachne and bring them into custody. If they don't cooperate then we shoot, aim to hurt and disable, not to kill if at all possible," Soul took over with a smirk at the miffed Maka, "We'd be stupid to assume they wouldn't have guards, but I doubt Arachne would want to risk having too many of her minions near a strung out psychopath. Now let's hurry up so we can go and kick some ass!"

"I can't wait to get back at the perv who watched me while I showered. I'll definitely make him pay!" Maka scowled. The others laughed and hurriedly finished their food. Once done they all separated and got into their separate vehicles and drove to the site of the warehouse. After they'd all gotten there each team grabbed the weapons they'd need. All of them grabbed a gun, Kid grabbing a machine gun for extra measure (only Kid and the Thompsons knew where it came from) while the Thompson sisters each loaded up on extra guns, whereas Black*Star went with a knife that Maka thought to be straight out of a war movie, and Tsubaki grabbed a gun and knife as well. Maka herself grabbed two pistols and a few knives, strapped to various body parts then looked up at Soul so see what he'd be bringing. She was surprised when she saw him grab two pistols and no knife.

"Is that all you're bringing Soul?" Maka tilted her head at the white-haired male who nodded with a smirk.

"Yeah, unlike some people I'm pretty confident in my abilities and don't feel the need for extra weapons," Maka shook her head at his explanation and went back to checking how secure her weapons were. She was so preoccupied she never noticed Soul sneaking up on her until her was turning her around to face him. She looked up in surprise and confusion at Soul before squeaking as he checked her belt and other holsters, "I don't want to have too many weapons on me in case he has any chances of getting ahold of them. You will be staying as far away from him as possible so you don't have that same worry. Now go and work out kinks with the other girls before we go in." Apparently satisfied with his findings Soul turned Maka around again then sent her off with a pat on the butt. She squeaked again then glared at him as she walked away.

As she was leaving the other two males in their group were making their way toward Soul. He looked at them warily, they appeared slightly aggressive which wouldn't have surprised Soul considering what they were about to do, but right now they seemed to want to talk about something else. His suspicions were confirmed when they both stopped and crossed their arms with the same look on their faces: protective.

"What?" Soul asked quietly so the females a few feet away didn't here, "I'm supposing this doesn't have anything to do with our going rogue does it?"

"No, well in a way I suppose it does," Kid answered, "Anyway, I believe Black*Star has already discussed with you to not just mess with Maka. She may have slightly made way on her bias on men, with our help as well as yours, but we want to know if you're only joking around with her right now."

"What the hell?!" Soul looked from Kid to Black*Star then back at Kid again, "I-I actually like Maka like that alright? Does that make you feel better?"

"No," Black*Star said, causing Soul to snap his attention back to the bluenette, "She like our baby sister, the thought of her dating just isn't right. We can't stop that from happening, but if you mess with her we mess with you. Just remember that Soul. Now let's go kick some bad guy ass! YAHOO!"

"Shut up Black*Star!" Maka hissed at the easily excited male, "We have to proceed very carefully. Just because we've got permission from Mayor Death doesn't mean we can get all cocky here. Now," She tossed each member of the group a walkie talkie, "We'll have to wait for a distraction, then get in. Press the call button once to let the others know you're in and then we'll meet up in the main area of the warehouse. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded their heads then parted to go to their posts. Soul went to follow Maka but Black*Star placed a hand on his chest with a smirk, "You're gonna have to tell her straight up, she's dense when it comes to feelings." Dumbfounded Soul could only nod as Black*Star walked away. Maka gave him a look and Soul shook his head then followed her to their designated spot.

* * *

Kid and the Thompsons were about ten feet away from the box closest to the door when all of a sudden metal doors covered the windows and the door to the loading dock began closing. They looked at one another before running towards the door that was quickly closing, lowering to the ground. Patty made it through first, still able to run, however Liz tripped and Kid ran back to grab her, rolling under the door just in the nick of time. He ended up straddling the elder Thompson, a blush creeping over both of their faces. He stood up very quickly, offering a hand to Liz to help her up. Patty giggled into her hand and the three of them turned around to see the door firmly shut with no chance of escape.

"Well I guess we have no other choice but to go on with the plan, I hope everyone else made it in," Kid said. The girls nodded and they slowly made their way through the large area, much different than what they'd been expecting.

* * *

"Assassin's rule number one: Silence. Dissolve into darkness and erase your breath," Black*Star muttered under his breath as he and Tsubaki made their way up the side of the building. His long-time girlfriend smiled softly at his need for attention even when on a stealth mission. They finally made it to the roof of the warehouse and looked in one of the windows there to see that the layout they had found of the warehouse was much different than what they were seeing now. Instead the entire building was all one room, the door for the loading area on the wall opposite of the main doors. In the center of the room was a couch which was currently seating two people, there was a maximum of fifteen other milling around the warehouse. All of a sudden one of the figures on the couch stabbed the other, and even Black*Star could easily see that Asura had just killed Arachne. The guards began sprinting towards the door, one of them pausing by the door to press a button that caused the windows to be covered with metal. Tsubaki and Black*Star shared a look before quickly jumping through the window and landing on top of a particularly tall stack of boxes.

"Stay safe," Black*Star whispered to Tsubaki, kissing her before they dropped to the floor.

* * *

"You ready for this Bookworm?" Soul asked lazily from their hiding spot. She made a face at the unfortunate nickname but nodded anyway. Soul looked at her closely and saw the doubtlessly sweaty palms she was wiping on her shorts, "Hey, everything will be fine, you should know that."

"I do know, but I'm not fully trained, I'm just worried I'll mess up and it'll affect one of you guys. I don't think I could live with myself-"

"Don't think like that then," Maka's gaze locked onto Soul's and he swallowed, trying not to do anything he'd regret, "We all know something could go wrong here, and we're all prepared for the consequences. Just stay focused in there and you'll do great." Soul pulled her in for a hug and she happily hugged back. Just when Maka opened her mouth to reply, the sound of people rushing out the main door caught their attention and their heads napped to the doors of the warehouse. All of the guards were rushing out and one of them pressed a button by the door, causing metal to cover the glass.

"Hurry!" Maka grabbed Soul's hand and sprinted to the door, getting inside just as it snapped shut and locked behind them. They stood there panting for a moment, surveying their surroundings before warily pulling their weapons out and pointing them at the crazed figure on the couch. Black*Star and Tsubaki dropped down from a stack of boxes just as Kid and the Thompsons walked out from the shadows. Everyone had at least one weapon pointed at Asura as they grouped by the doors.

"Well it looks like we won't be getting out of here anytime soon," Liz said with a twisted smirk, never taking her eyes off of their target. Her sister chuckled in agreement, and Maka could see their past from the streets showing as they handled their guns with ease.

"You're cuttin' it awful close there Maka and Soul, you almost missed my big show," Black*Star grinned proudly.

"So is this the day you surpass God Black*Star?" Tsubaki asked, knowing it would fuel Black*Star on his mission, who nodded cockily.

"Now's no the time to be distracted everyone," Kid added, but he couldn't conceal a small smile as well.

"Let's do this!" Maka announced, no signs of her earlier worry showing.

"That's why we're all the cool group," Soul smirked. They all shared one last nod before moving closer to Asura who had yet to acknowledge them.

"Asura," Maka spoke clearly and loudly, "Be prepared to pay for your actions! You're going to be stopped by us, whether you want to be or not!"

The man turned towards them all slowly, smiling crazily as he pulled the knife from Arachne's chest. They all grimaced slightly at the gruesome sight as Asura licked the blood from the edge of the blade, "You're all insects under my foot, waiting to be squashed."

* * *

_I'm unnecessarily cruel, aren't I? I figured that since this is where the anime ends it's episode, it might as well be where I end mine, heehee. I'm extremely sorry for such a long delay, but I've been out of commission for a while with some sort of sickness and I haven't done more than sleep and eat the past few days. On the bright side school is finally done, so this story should be wrapped up in the next few weeks! Anyway, please review!_

_Charlotte_


	9. Chapter 8

_I'm back already! I decided that since I've been missing forever and since the last chapter was quite the cliffhanger that I'd try a speedy update for once in my life… hopefully. I've also updated all of the previous chapters, nothing that changes the plot or anything, mainly grammar mistakes or whenever I contradicted myself. Enjoy this chapter, and please review!_

* * *

_Previously…_

"_Let's do this!" Maka announced, no signs of her earlier worry showing._

"_That's why we're all the cool group," Soul smirked. They all shared one last nod before moving closer to Asura who had yet to acknowledge them._

"_Asura," Maka spoke clearly and loudly, "Be prepared to pay for your actions! You're going to be stopped by us, whether you want to be or not!"_

_The man turned towards them all slowly, smiling crazily as he pulled the knife from Arachne's chest. They all grimaced slightly at the gruesome sight as Asura licked the blood from the edge of the blade, "You're all insects under my foot, waiting to be squashed."_

* * *

"We need to be very careful," Kid observed as he searched for any remaining guards, "He's unstable and powerful with those steroids. I wouldn't be surprised if the bullets don't stop him unless they're an immediate kill shot."

"Well you guys don't need to worry, you've got me!" Black*Star boasted. They all kept their eyes on Asura when all of a sudden he dashed from the couch to hide behind one of the many stacks of boxes.

"Circle up back to back!" Maka barked and they followed her advice, "Dammit he could be anywhere in here!"

"None of you are fit to speak to me, you insects, yet alone try and kill me!" Asura yelled madly from his hiding place. Unfortunately the open warehouse made it impossible to detect where the sound came from.

"This might be more difficult than we thought," Liz shuddered, "As long as there's no monsters other than Asura I'm fine."

"If you can face him you could be police chief sis!" Patty joked.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves Patty," Liz groaned weakly, "I won't be asking for that job anytime soon."

"Can I?" Patty asked.

Before anyone could reply Asura interrupted them again, "Let's play a game. If you can find me and kill me before I find and kill you then you win, otherwise I win."

The group exchanged looks warily and stepped closer to each other so they were all touching at least one other person. They pulled out multiple weapons and scanned the dim warehouse for Asura.

* * *

Stein carefully entered the apartment he'd been sent to with Spirit. They had to wait for Azusa before going to the warehouse so they decided to check out Medusa's first. As soon as the door was opened and the area cleared Spirit went off to question the other tenants in the building while Stein went through Medusa's journals and small lab. All of a sudden the woman herself was standing in front of the window, having just climbed up the fire escape from the looks of things. She held up a small remote control in her hand and she smiled, it was no friendly smile, there were too many teeth showing and it was the twisted smile of a predator, a snake.

"Hello there Stein," She said, sickly sweet, "I suppose I have to give up this nice set up now that you've found my base of operations. But before I go I have an offer for you: come with me. I'm doing this all for the sake of science, and as a scientist you must understand where I'm coming from. Together we can make many discoveries to further science and help the public."

"No thank you Medusa, I'd rather see your face behind bars in jail. I'm sure your smile would look great in an orange jumpsuit," Stein smiled madly as well, "Besides, I've got my best test subject at the police station and I'm not willing to give that up."

"Fine, that's your choice. However your choice has consequences, and now that sweet little girl, Maka I believe, is going to see what Black Blood can do to one of her closest friends. But you needn't worry, she won't be alive too long to suffer any psychological side effects. Soul Eater turned out to be a perfect test subject to try my special batch of Black Blood mixed with Madness, sealed in a tiny capsule until I press this button," Medusa's smile grew and she pressed the button, "Oops, did I do that? My bad."

"Medusa!" Spirit barreled into the room as Medusa pulled out a knife and held it to her neck, "Stop!"

"Sorry boys, but there's no way I'm spending my life in jail. Have fun with the aftermath of my experiment, you might want to call Maka Spirit," With that Medusa took her life. She fell to the floor as blood seeped from her neck. She managed one last sentence before her heart stopped, "And just remember, even if you get Asura more evils will take his place."

"Stein, what was she talking about?" Spirit demanded as Stein attempted to pull himself together.

"Delayed Black Blood, in Soul's veins," Stein got out, "He's with Maka right now."

"Dammit!" Spirit cursed, growing pale. His cell phone began to ring and he answered it, "Yeah Azusa? What?! You're kidding! Get backup down there immediately, Stein and I are on our way!" He shut his phone and looked up Stein, worry emanating from his features, "Maka, Soul, Black*Star, Kid, Tsubaki, Liz and her kid sister Patty all went after Asura by themselves. The warehouse is in lockdown, no one can get in or out. We're waiting to hear back from the company but it's going to take a while to get the codes to deactivate it. The only way at this point is if they use the keypad inside and press the open button."

"Let's go," Stein said and the two rushed out of the apartment towards the warehouse.

* * *

"Damn he's good at hiding," Soul complained, "There's not going to be any way to wear him down like this as long as he's strung out on the Madness and Black Blood."

Just as Soul finished speaking Asura appeared in his line of sight and he began shooting in his direction. This was the fifth time Asura had popped up, always in someone else's shooting range.

"Good try Soul," Maka encouraged. Soul felt strange, there was a sudden rush in his veins that didn't feel like adrenaline. Everything became distorted, and he felt woozy before a powerful shot through his body made him feel strong. He turned to Maka and saw Asura instead. He raised his gun shakily, "Soul! What are you doing?!"

"Soul calm down!" He heard Black*Star next to him, but when he turned he saw Asura again. His reality rippled around him as his gaze quickly roamed around the room.

"Soul," A voice sang from his shoulder. He looked there to see a small demon with a red head and wearing an expensive suit looking at him, "Let me take control and I can kill Asura for you, all of his bodies. Do you see them all?" Soul looked around to see Asura looking at him from six different spots, "I can defeat them for you, if you give me control."

"N-no," Soul got out, "I need to find Maka! Maka, where are you?!"

"Too bad Soul, I'm taking over whether you want me to or not," The demon hopped off his shoulder and grew in size and Soul felt himself lose control no matter how much he protested.

"Soul!" Maka looked from his face to the others. She noted how he was getting paler the longer he stood there, "Soul?"

"Talk some sense into him Maka, something's not right," Kid said. The others closed a circle around her and Soul.

"Don't just stand there Maka, get Soul back to normal. We'll keep you safe, but by the time you two finally rejoin us all the fun will be over!" Black*Star grinned to lighten the mood.

"Don't worry, we'll keep our promise," Tsubaki smiled softly at her as well. Maka nodded and turned her attention to Soul.

"Soul, are you alright?" She asked softly in hopes of not scaring him. He looked at her with crazed eyes, his face now turning an alarming ashen color, "Soul it's me, Maka."

All of a sudden a maniacal grin flitted across his features, "Soul isn't in charge anymore, the Black Blood is. Now I can do anything I want with no worries!" Soul grabbed Maka by the neck and lifted her up slightly, she grabbed his hand and tried to tug it away to no avail. Whatever he'd been injected with had steroid in it, that much was certain.

"Soul!" She choked out, still struggling feebly, "You have to get ahold of yourself! Remember all the times we've been through together? Last night you burned supper but I didn't yell at you, we just went out for Italian instead. You need to pull yourself together!" Thankfully the grip around her neck was loosened and Maka tugged Soul to a secluded corner while under the watchful eye of the others. She laid him down and was disturbed by how he'd suddenly gone from super strong to this ashen and pale. She placed her ear on his chest and listened to the too-fast beating of his heart. She had to snap him out of whatever drug-induced stupor he was in. Sounds from where the others were cause her to jump and pull out her knife, looking up, but she saw nothing. On edge she put her back to the wall and began thinking about everything Stein had told her about drugs.

_He'd said something about some cases where the hallucinogens stop working due to a shock that causes a surge or adrenaline the dispels the effects of the drug… what could I say to shock Soul enough? He seems so out of it…_

"Soul I ruined your favorite orange shirt! Nothing? Umm I'll kiss you if you wake up? I'm not going further than a kiss… dammit Soul you selfish bastard! We need you over here and all you're doing is sleeping!" Maka sat in thought for a few moments, trying to think of a plan.

* * *

"I see your little friends have run off together, maybe I'll go visit them!" Asura sang from somewhere in the warehouse. The two males heard footsteps approaching the area where Maka had dragged Soul to and they quickly cut off any routes there, coming face to face with Asura himself. He had no weapons on him, having dropped the knife on the couch next to Arachne's body.

"Sorry, but you can't interrupt them. We made a promise, and at the Death City Police Department, we keep our promises," Black*Star grinned madly.

"You wouldn't understand, it's a friendship thing," Kid scowled. The girls flanked Asura so that he was surrounded. He smiled madly.

"I'll squish all of you insects."

* * *

"Any updates?" Spirit huffed as he and Stein arrived to the warehouse.

Azusa shook her head, "We weren't able to establish a connection to the camera system or place one of our own cameras inside. As far as we know the seven of them are inside with Asura and Arachne."

"Damn," Spirit cursed softly.

"We may be in luck Spirit," Stein said, "Kid is an exceptional shot, they all are. And if Maka has learned anything from you and Kami it's how to fight. They should be fine."

"That's I gave them permission to go through with this," Mayor Death said as he stepped out of his car. He was serious, a rare sight, "They may be young but they know what they're doing. I was looking into creating a special force within the police department to deal with tough cases like this. We'd need tough, young detectives to be on the force, so I'm treating this as a trial run."

"Well it'll be interesting, that's for sure," Stein said as he lit a cigarette and offered one to Spirit who gladly accepted.

* * *

"Fine Soul, you want to be difficult?" Maka huffed. She'd been trying for the past five minutes to wake the man up and had no luck. She was admittedly getting worried, she hadn't heard anything form the others for a few minutes and that kept her on edge. Once more she looked at Soul who seemed to be warring with himself internally and she fiddled with the hem of her shirt as a blush blossomed across her cheeks, "I'll give you your kiss early."

Checking her surroundings first, Maka slowly bent down, touched her forehead to Soul's then pressed her lips against his. He startled, his eyes opening quickly before responding eagerly to the kiss. Maka pulled away immediately after she realized Soul was awake.

"It's about time you idiot!" She lectured jokingly. Her voice was shaking, betraying her worries and how much that simple kiss had jolted her senses.

"Huh, normally it's the prince kissing the princess," Soul joked back, trying to regain feeling in his body; whatever he'd been injected with was powerful.

"Well you can be a princess," Maka quipped, "Now let's go help the others…" As she looked around her expression grew horrified, she saw Kid and the Thompsons flung across some boxes, Kid protectively covering both sisters unconsciously by covering their bodies with his. Black*Star and Tsubaki were sprawled on the floor in the opposite direction, Black*Star holding onto Tsubaki, ticking her body into his and looking like he took the brute of the hit. In front of them stood Asura holding Black*Star's machete-sized knife and one the pistols.

"They were unfit to fight me like the insects they were," Asura grinned.

* * *

_Hahaha! I'm currently the Queen of Evil Cliffhangers! I can't help it, they make good places to leave all of you hanging! Please review!_

_On another note, there will most likely be a few chapters after this one, one finishing the actions, one the day after the fight and one with the recovery plus an epilogue. Let me know your thoughts!_


	10. Chapter 9

_Let's just jump into the story._

_Disclaimer: I still don't own this, hopefully everyone knows this and accepts this now._

* * *

_In front of them stood Asura holding Black*Star's machete-sized knife and one the pistols, "They were unfit to fight me like the insects they were," Asura grinned._

Soul and Maka exchanged a look and both of them stood up quickly. Maka leveled a glare at the crazed man and pulled out a gun of her own, pointing it at him, "Are you really surprised that this happened?" Asura's craze seemed to have calmed down into psychotic philosophy, "It only makes sense that I stand here while they lie before me. Welcome to harsh reality children, there are no surprises here," There was a glint in Asura's eye now and Soul carefully surveyed the area as the man continued, "Also, there is no fear."

Maka gave a small snort as a twisted smile took over Asura's features and Soul grabbed her hand not holding the gun to steady her. He felt her shaking slightly and gently squeezed her hand in comfort. She breathed in then yelled, "Asura, be prepared to die, your life is mine!"

"My, my you two are persistent, one of you only just returning from the insanity of the Black Blood and the other trembling like a leaf. Give in to the fear children, it is incredibly freeing. However Maka Albarn, I cannot allow you to leave here alive."

"Over my dead body!" Soul spat out, taking an aggressive step forward only to be stopped by Maka's hand on his chest.

"Very well then, I can arrange for that," Asura said calmly, raising the gun and pointing it at Soul. Maka watched in what seemed like slow motion as Asura pulled the trigger and she was horrified to find it wasn't her the gun was pointed at, but Soul. She managed to call out his name and he turned slightly, causing the bullet to hit his right shoulder, and not his heart like it'd been about to. He fell onto his back with a groan, but made no noises after that.

"Soul. Soul! Get up!" Maka could feel tears streaming down her face but she couldn't find herself caring at that moment as her best friend lay, collapsed on the floor, for the second time within fifteen minutes. She felt for a pulse with shaky fingers and was glad to find it still beating out strong and she timed it with her watch, but she panicked slightly when she saw the bullet was still in his shoulder, an easy cause for infection. A glance at the time told her that they'd only been in here an hour tops, but with everything that'd happened it seemed like much longer. All this time she kept one eye on Asura who was watching with that twisted and infuriating smirk on his face. The blood loss was slow but steady, she needed to wrap this up quickly, he may have passed out from being shot but soon it'd be blood loss. Finally she stood up, with one last look at Soul and her other friends, before glaring at the man in front of her.

"You can try to dodge this next bullet," Asura said calmly as he leveled his gun once again, "But if you do it'll hit your friend behind you." Maka swallowed hard and straightened her back as Asura pulled the trigger once more. She wasn't able dodge the bullet entirely, but instead of hitting her in the chest it went straight through her upper shoulder and she fell down as black swarmed around the edges of her vision before all of the darkness claimed her.

* * *

"I need at least four ambulances here," Spirit spoke into his cell phone. His hand clenched around the device as he heard the exact opposite of what he wanted to, "God dammit! I have seven of my youngest people in that building, two of which are civilians, and all of which went on this suicide mission without telling me and giving me proper heads up! I'm going to need enough medical personnel to do initial medical care. Thank you." He hung up and barely stopped himself from chucking his phone onto the pavement in frustration.

"Spirit!" A well-endowed woman with striking purple hair came running up to the red-head. She grabbed his shoulders and spun him to face her as her eyes clouded with worry, "Is it true Maka and the others are in there with Asura?"

"Yeah Blair, they got here before we could stop them," Spirit sighed and pulled away from her, "It's not looking good right now. The security system that we can see covering the doors and windows can only be deactivated from the inside. We've tried all of the frequencies on the radios but none of them are answering. My people, _my responsibilities_, are in that building and I can't do anything to help!" He was cut off as Blair pulled him into another smothering hug.

"It's alright, they may be young but they know what they're doing. Especially Maka, the skills she's been taught since she could walk could be what they need in there. She has many great abilities in case something happens to the others," Stein said as he took a drag on another cigarette, his third in half an hour and the only testament to his true worry. The others nodded in agreement, none of them noticing the blond woman in the eye patch shaking her head in disagreement.

"You're wrong Stein," Marie said as she walked up to the others. She had just gotten done speaking to Chrona, she'd enjoyed him in her class when before he'd graduated and knowing he was in a cell because of something he couldn't control and didn't know he was doing was killing her, "I've had Maka in my classes for the past four years, everyone else at some point as well, and her determination is incredibly contagious. Even without that the other six all know how their way around a weapon and can work well together. If there's anyone who can do it, it's those seven."

"Either way, the moment they get out here I'm locking them all into a cell until they're thirty," Spirit grumbled.

* * *

She must have been out for only a few moments because when Maka woke up with a groan, she saw Asura sauntering towards her. He stopped when he noticed her movements and tilted his head curiously. Maka sat up slowly and felt for her gun, however she didn't feel the weight of any of her weapons. Stiffening she looked towards Asura then down by his feet to where her weapons were. He must have disarmed her while she was unconscious and was just coming back to her when she woke up.

"Just give up Maka," Asura said, advancing towards her once more, "There's nothing to fear, everything is over for you. Your friends are of no help to you anymore right now, they're all disarmed and unconscious, it's just you. So give up."

"No," Maka stood up shakily and scowled at Asura once again, "How can I give up when I know all of my friends have sacrificed themselves to help me? When I know there are multiple people waiting for us to defeat you and for us to see them again? I can't give up knowing all that! I will either defeat you or d-" Maka swallowed, "Die trying."

"Fine!" Asura moved so quickly Maka didn't register what was happening until she was once again on the ground with one hand around her neck, squeezing the air out of her lungs, and another clawing into her arm drawing blood and causing her to cry out in pain, wasting precious oxygen. Her eyes widened in fear as she couldn't draw in a breath and she struggled against the body pinning her to the dirty floor. She managed to bring her knee up to connect with Asura's crotch and his hand loosened around her neck, allowing her to break free and punch him in the face. Not wasting her time she quickly gulped in oxygen and dragged her body towards the nearest gun but was stopped when Asura grabbed her ankle and pulled her back. She kicked his hand but he held on tightly.

"It's sad really," Asura said as he pulled himself over Maka's body and held her hands over her head, "I'd expected more of a fight from you, you seem like such a strong girl. But in the end, when it's just down to you it's disappointingly easy to take you down and get the advantage over you. All the thrill of the chase, stalking after you and leaving my little hints for you, ended in this anticlimactic confrontation." All the while Asura's hands roamed over Maka and she squirmed to get free. Before all of this had happened she'd lived happily without getting groped, but since she found that damn eye on her wall a little over a month ago she'd been groped three times!

"There's one thing you forgot that I've been taught my entire life," Maka had finally maneuvered her hands so that she could grab her bracelet, thankful for once for the distraction she had as a female, and had it unsnapped before Asura knew what was happening, "Rule number nine: Never go anywhere without a knife!*" With that she plunged the hidden knife into Asura's chest. Unfortunately, just as Kid had predicted the drugs going through Asura's veins allowed him to work past the pain.

"I'm afraid that won't work too well on me right now. At least I'll have time to kill you before I die as well," Asura giggled and smiled crazily. He pulled the knife out of his chest as if it was merely a splinter in his hand and raised it above his head, "It was fun while it lasted, but all things must come to an end."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Both heads snapped towards the voice and Maka's stomach flipped in joy as she saw Soul propped up on his elbow and shakily pointed one of the discarded guns at the male holding himself over Maka. Before he lost too much strength he aimed the gun and shot, the bang ringing across the building and startling the others awake. Asura's dead weight dropped onto Maka as blood began spilling from the fatal wound on his head.

"Maka?" Liz asked as she tried to push herself up and Kid helped her sit up as well as helping Patty.

"I'm fine, well as fine as a person can be in this situation," Maka replied as she pushed Asura's body off of hers. Soul stood up unsteadily and walked over to Maka, holding out a hand to help her up. She gratefully accepted and got up as they walked over to the others who were just getting up as well.

"YAHOO! WE BEAT ASURA!" Black*Star whooped as Tsubaki tried to look at the blood slowly oozing from a gash on the back of his head. Patty giggled and nodded in agreement as they all leaned on each other for support.

"But how do we get out of here?" Soul asked.

"Easy, we simply have to put in the disarming code for the alarms into the keypad which should be by the main doors. It was in Arachne's financial records and then it-" Kid tried to explain as he grabbed both Thompsons by the waist but faltered when he tried to step on his right foot.

"Okay, you leaned on Patty and I, you took the most of the hit when you tried to protect us after all," Liz said as she switched their arm positions, "Tell Tsubaki the code and she can put it in." Kid relayed the password to the woman when they reached the door and it opened to reveal the Mayor, Spirit, Stein and many other police officers and EMT's.

To those standing outside, the moment the doors opened were tense- they didn't know whether it would be their young officers or the deranged killer. So as soon as they opened to reveal all seven of them, the rest could breathe easy. All of them were dirty beyond belief from the floor of the warehouse, and bloodied and bruised on various parts of their bodies. Someone snapped a picture of them as they stood there, blinking in the suddenly bright sun after the dim light of the warehouse. Maka and soul stood in the middle, leaning on each other heavily and both bleeding from shoulder wounds, Kid stood on Maka's side being supported by the Thompsons and Black*Star and Tsubaki stood next to Soul. All of them had grins on their faces and, despite the injuries they'd gone though, all seemed to be fine.

"Hello everybody, sorry if we caused you any trouble!" Maka beamed at the familiar faces as they came into focus.

* * *

_So I finally post this chapter! And it only took me like two weeks… I didn't say I was proud of that fact._

_*Okay, lots of cookies to whoever can guess where the "rule number 9: always carry a knife." Reference came from. Post a review saying where if you know or think you do! And just review to give me feedback and because it's nice…_

_-Charlotte_


	11. Important Author's Note

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!**

I'm very sorry about the update timing on this story, but my computer got infected and I lost a lot of my work. I've been working on re-typing the next chapter, but it was the longest I'd had so far. It's almost done now, so it should only be a few days until it's uploaded. I'm sorry for stupid viruses and having lost files!

- Charlotte


	12. Chapter 10

_Next chapter, the longest one of them all even after the whole virus thing! I still own nothing, just so you all know. As for knowing where the "Rule #9" came from, __Arkangelsouls__ and a guest reviewer are the only ones who knew that reviewed, so congratulations and cookies for you! But you're on your own for the milk_

* * *

_"Hello everybody, sorry if we caused you any trouble!" Maka beamed at the familiar faces as they came into focus._

As soon as everyone was over the excitement and surprise of the seven young people, they were rushed with prepared forces going in to secure the rest of the warehouse.

"There's no point, Asura's dead," Soul snorted in amusement, "We all made sure of that." Him and Maka stepped forward a little but Maka faltered and started to fall, "Shit!" He quickly tightened his grip around her waist, thankful that she was standing on his side without the bullet in it.

"Alright," Stein walked up briskly and took charge of the situation. He helped Soul stand Maka up, who was now cursing enough to shock her father, as he checked over her wounds and spoke to a pair of paramedics, "Take Maka to a hospital immediately. I don't want to risk infection with that dirty floor in the warehouse even if it is a through gunshot. Besides, with how she's walking it looks like she's a little low on blood. Soul, you go with her and ride in the back of the ambulance with her, you need to get the bullet taken out of your shoulder as well. And no Spirit, you're needed here so you can't go with right now. Chances are likely that they'll both need minor surgery to patch everything up and then intense antibiotics to fight off infection, so chances are by the time you'd be able to see her in a hospital she'd be asleep anyway," Stein directed a glare at the overprotective father as he finally got Maka up in the ambulance with Soul. Said redhead whined and pouted as he nonverbally pleaded with Stein to go with.

"It's alright Papa," Maka looked away annoyed but with a small blush on her cheeks betraying her embarrassment and possibly happiness knowing for a fact that her father was worried. Soul climbed up as well, starting to look a little pale and shaky, but nowhere near Maka's state. She had fought Asura with that bullet wound, Soul thought to himself a little guilty that he hadn't protected Maka like he'd promised himself.

"Don't worry Chief Perv, I'll keep an eye out for her as long as I can," Soul flashed a smirk at his boss and slung an arm around Maka as he pulled her closer to him with a squeak. Her face burned crimson, but she made no move to pull away from Soul, instead she laid her head down on his shoulder as the post-adrenaline weariness set in. He looked at her in surprise and a bit of worry before giving the paramedics a pointed look at the too-pale girl next to him. He flashed a sarcastic salute and one last smirk at Stein, Spirit and Mayor Death who had joined them before the ambulance doors closed.

"I'm surprised she lasted this long, from the moment she stepped out of the warehouse it seemed as if the only thing keeping her going was her adrenaline from the fight," Mayor Death noted thoughtfully, "I'm going to make sure my son is alright so I'll leave the two of you to do your jobs."

"We'll come with you Mayor, Kid will probably be the most coherent besides Black*Star and I don't want to deal with the loudmouth," Spirit said as he slowly pulled himself back together. He nodded to the other two males and they made their way to the ambulance that Kid was being treated at. Once they got over there he looked up at them with a weary smile.

"Hello Father, Chief, Stein. Are Maka and Soul on their way to getting treatment?" Kid asked as the paramedic began telling Mayor Death about Kid's injuries.

"He's got two broken ribs that will need to looked at further in a hospital, both are the fourth rib on the left and right side, directly across from each other. They don't seem to have punctured the lungs and don't seem to be displaced but we don't want to take any risks. Other than that he's got a minor concussion and scrapes and bruises, many of which are deep tissue. His right ankle is sprained, so kid," The paramedic smiled apologetically at Kid, unaware that was his name, instead giving him a nickname. Stein snorted at the subtle difference between the two, "You're in for a bit of pain these next couple of days. I'll pack up my supplies while you talk to your bosses then we'll go to get x-rays at the hospital." The paramedic turned around and Kid turned around to talk to the other three males.

"It's amazing, my wounds are symmetrical!" Kid sounded happy and the older three in the group looked at each other and shrugged. If it really made being injured better they weren't going to point out that Kid's logic was flawed.

"So what happened in there Kid?" Spirit asked.

"We went in heavily armed in case we had to deal with Arachne and her lackeys, but once we got into position, Black*Star and Tsubaki on the roof, Liz, Patty and I by the loading doors and Soul and Maka by the main doors, Black*Star and Tsubaki witnessed Asura stab Arachne, killing her. We went in just in case there was an exit that wasn't covered by the closing security doors that Asura could have escaped from. About fifteen minutes after we infiltrated the warehouse Soul began acting strangely and attacked Maka. She calmed him down and took him as far away from Asura as she could. She worked on snapping him out of his drug induced haze, or whatever it was, while we covered them and attempted to subdue Asura."

"Medusa injected him intravenously with a small capsule filled with concentrated Black Blood and Madness that would be released when she pressed a button. If he collapsed like you said she must have miscalculated her mixes which is something we can be grateful for. If she had made the correct calculations then it probably would have made more trouble for you guys," Stein mused.

"Yes, well once she began trying to snap him out of it we continued to subdue Asura. However, even though we had him surrounded, and even through the drugs Asura was able to pinpoint our weakest members, Liz and Patty, and made an attempt to attack them. I was able to get there in time to take most of the force from the hit and protect the two of them. The force of the hit made me pass out," Kid made a face, both embarrassed and guilty to have passed out, "After that Maka's and Souls gunshots startled me awake. You'll have to ask Black*Star about what happened once I passed out."

"Thanks Kid, you guys have the next week off duty, and if I see you come into the precinct at all without a proper excuse then your punishment when you get back is gonna be even worse," Spirit said and started to close the ambulance doors before Kid pushed a hand out, "Yeah?"

"C-can you tell Liz to meet up with me in the waiting rooms once she gets to the hospital? A-and the others too!" Kid stammered with bright red ears causing his three superiors to smile at one another before agreeing to his request. They watched the ambulance pull away then decided to talk to Black*star, and were happy to see that the loudmouth wasn't hurt too bad, a few nasty looking bruises forming already and a gash on the back of his head that the paramedic was stitching up already, and Tsubaki only looking a little worse for the wear. On the way they passed Liz and Patty who joined them, only a few minor bruises noticeable.

"You're finally coming to talk to the star of the show?!" Black*Star grinned at the approaching figures, "I'm assuming Kid bored you with the details of everything up until he passed out so I'll just pick it up from there. After that happened Tsubaki managed to distract him while I went in for some hand to hand combat. Did Kid tell you the crazy dude pried a board off a box and used that to smack the three of them into those boxes then hit 'em again? I wrestled it away and blinked, I only closed my eyes for a second then he power throws me into Tsubaki and we went tumbling into a bunch of boxes too. I'm not exactly what happened after that…" Black*Star trailed off.

"He, um, threw a box at us and it hit the back of your head," Tsubaki said quietly and smiled at her boyfriend's bewildered reaction. Patty and Liz laughed loudly and Mayor Death was happy to see the experience hadn't shaken the young adults too badly. Maybe his idea of a task force of well-trained younger officers for cases like this wasn't too bad of an idea…

"Let's go see our buddies in the hospital, it's been almost a month since we last took over their waiting room!" Liz smiled, interrupting the mayor's thoughts. They all agreed and as soon as Black*Star was patched up they piled into the Mayor's car and headed to the hospital. "So how long after this do you think it's gonna take those two blushing idiots to confess?"

"I'm certain they already know but they haven't said it yet," Tsubaki said thoughtfully and Patty nodded enthusiastically.

"Hmph, he better not hurt her," Black*Star grumbled and Tsubaki patted his shoulder sympathetically, "What about you and the symmetrical idiot Liz?"

"Wh-what?!" Liz blushed, "Shut up!" They all laughed at her expense as they continued on their way. Once they arrived at the hospital the group made a beeline for the surgery waiting room where Kid was already sitting and waiting for them.

"Is everything at the scene alright? Are you guys hurt too badly?" Kid stood up as soon as he saw them enter. They shook their heads and began the process of waiting for not just one friend this time, but two. The time spent waiting was used in a similar fashion to when Soul was getting his chest sewn up, and after a few hours a nurse was walking towards them and saying Soul and Maka were in a shared room and should be waking up sometime soon. They quietly entered the room, grinning when they saw five chairs crowded into the available spaces- obviously Stein had pulled a few strings during their wait- and started the second round of waiting. The girls immediately flocked to Maka and smoothed the girl's hair under the bandages while worrying over her pale features. Kid and Black*Star walked over to check on Soul and Black*Star pulled out a black marker with a devious grin before leaning over Soul and signing his name on the man's bandages before moving over to Maka and giving her the same treatment.

"Black*Star is that necessary?" Tsubaki sweat-dropped as her boyfriend finished writing on Maka's forehead, causing the girl to shake her head gently in her sleep.

"Of course!" Black*Star threw his head back and laughed obnoxiously, "They should feel honored to have the great Black*Star's signature on them!"

"But on their forehead?" Liz asked with a deadpan expression. She looked over at Kid who was twitching and glaring at the signatures as if they were the most evil things in the world. _Oh great,_ Liz thought sarcastically, _here comes a symmetry fit._ And soon enough Kid was yelling at Black*Star about his lack of finesse and symmetry until Liz took pity on everybody and whacked them both on the head with her rolled up magazine, Patty burst out laughing as both men looked bewildered, "It's not Maka-Chop, but it'll have to do until she's well enough to chop both of you."

"Why do I have to chop them now?" A weak voice asked from the bed and the other occupants of the room whipped their head towards Maka's bed where said girl was struggling to sit up. Tsubaki and Liz rushed over to help the younger girl up. She looked at each of her friends and smiled, "I'm glad you're all alright! How is Soul?"

Black*Star chuckled and pointed his thumb at Soul's bed only a few feet away from Maka's and the young woman turned her head. She thoroughly looked him over and visibly relaxed when she noticed the only major injury was the gunshot to his shoulder. The others grinned to one another and Black*Star spoke up, "You have a gunshot wound to your left shoulder, no signs of infection yet, and minor concussion. Soul's pretty much the same, minor infection in his shoulder due to the bullet being in there for a while, and has been detoxed of all the Black Blood and Madness in his system hopefully without any chance of withdrawal." Everyone looked at Black*Star in disbelief and he stared back at them blankly, "What? I've been to the hospital so many times now I know how to read their charts, it's pretty easy once you get used to the chicken scratch!"

"Right," Maka replied but was distracted by groaning from the other occupied bed in the room. She leaned towards Soul's bed in excitement, "Soul? Are you awake?"

"No I'm groaning because I'm dead asleep," Was Soul's sarcastic reply, "Use that big brain of yours Maka, what do you think?"

The girl was slightly put out and puffed her cheeks out as Soul finally opened his eyes and looked over, "You don't have to be so mean about it." There was no chance to reply as the nurse from before practically shoved the rest of the gang out of the room under the notion that it was past visiting hours and the two patients both needed all the sleep they could get. No matter how much they protested the nurse was firm and told them they could quietly wait out in the waiting room overnight if they wanted to stay so close to them. They said their good-nights and good-byes before heading to their homes with promises of returning as soon as possible the next morning.

As soon as the two were left alone Soul turned to Maka, "You sure you're alright Maka?"

"Yeah," Maka now laid on her right side facing Soul, who also moved onto his left side, she curled up into a small ball, wincing when she moved her wounds wrong, "With all things considered I'm doing well enough."

"He didn't… _do_ anything to you did he?" Soul pushed even though his face turned red at the implications.

"N-no!" Maka replied quickly, her eyes wide and a blush making it's was across her face as well. She curled a bit tighter, "I mean, it seemed like he was going to before he got distracted and I was able to break free, but he never got the chance." She looked away from Soul then continued hastily, "I'm going to go to sleep, goodnight Soul."

"Right, night Maka," Soul said with a frown. He didn't believe her when she said she was just fine, and the way she quickly cut off any more discussion proved he was right. There wasn't anything he could do at this point however, other than sleep until he could get her to talk again.

* * *

A scream ripped through the air, causing Soul to jerk up in bed, his heart pounding and looking around confused. He turned towards the sound of the screaming, Maka convulsing in her bed and screaming repeatedly, then immediately jumped out of bed, ignoring the screaming pain coming from his shoulder and strode over to Maka's bed and shook her awake gently, "Maka, MAKA! Wake up, it's just a dream!" Slowly the girl regained her senses and Soul looked around, disgusted and amazed that no nurses had rushed into their room when she started screaming.

"So-Soul?" She looked up at him and Soul felt his heart crack at her scared expression, "It was just a dream?"

"Yeah, everything's alright Maka," Soul said and pulled the girl to his chest in a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him as well and cried into Soul's chest.

"It was terrible!" Maka sobbed, "I s-saw Asura and he killed all you, and everyone suffer and made me watch! And then he started t-t-to-"

"Shh, Maka, it's alright now," Soul rubbed slow circles into her back while Maka kept crying loudly, "Move over."

"Wh-what?" She hiccupped and looked up with more tears brimming over.

"Move over," He repeated and felt his ears turn pink again, "You're in no condition to be sleeping alone right now, so move over." Maka complied, albeit a little dumbfounded. Soul climbed into bed with her and pulled her onto his chest, mindful to not put weight on either of their gunshot wounds. She turned onto her side so she was curled into his side and buried her face into the male's chest. He kept rubbing her back but eventually settled for wrapping his arm around her protectively, "Don't worry, I've got you Maka, I'll keep you safe however long you need me to." He wiped the tears off her cheeks and Maka leaned into the touch, sighing then relaxing into sleep.

"I really like you Soul," Maka yawned as she was only a few seconds from sleep, "Different than I've liked a guy before." Soul pinked but didn't get a chance to reply because Maka was already breathing evenly and sleeping soundly.

"Sometimes I really hate you," He muttered before placing a chaste kiss on Maka's forehead, "But I think both of our feelings are mutual between us." He closed his eyes and leaned back, falling asleep with his arm still wrapped around Maka's waist, her head pillowed over his heart and her arm curled around his waist as well.

* * *

Nurse twins Risa and Arisa both smiled as they watched the two young people sleeping in Maka's bed. Of course they had heard Maka screaming, and as the two nurses on duty, a favor to Blair in return for getting them off the streets and into a good college. However, by the time they'd gotten into the room Soul had already crossed the room and was comforting the small woman, girl really seeing as how she was only eighteen, and there was nothing more they could do…

…Well there _was_ one thing they could do. Risa pulled out her phone and snapped a picture, quickly sending it to Blair then calling her.

"Ohmygod!" Was the first thing Blair squealed when she answered, "They look so cute, how'd you get that to happen?"

"We didn't do anything," Arisa smiled mischievously while the two women moved their conversation back to the nurse's desk, "She had a nightmare and by the time we got there to see what was going on he was comforting her and climbing into bed with her."

"Aw, Blair knew they'd make an adorable couple! I better not let Spirit see this though… ever, otherwise Soul might not live to ask her out."

"You're such a matchmaker Blair," Risa complained jokingly as Arisa rolled her eyes, "We've gotta go and check on our other patients though, talk to you later." After hanging up with the excitable purple-haired woman they continued as if nothing happened, occasionally peeking in to see their new favorite patients.

"They are cute together," Risa started.

"I guess Blair was right," Arisa finished.

* * *

When morning rolled around, Maka was the first to wake up. She was momentarily frozen in place until she realized the snores were from her albino roommate. She took the moment she had and looked him over up close, the bandages on his shoulder showing a small red spot where the gunshot was and had bled through the bandage during the night. Maka sighed contentedly, enjoying the feeling of having Soul's arms around her and cuddling with each other, and would cherish the feeling until he woke up and inevitably pushed her away.

Soul meanwhile, was also enjoying the feeling of waking up with Maka, and held his breath when she lifted her head up, but breathed again when she sighed happily and laid back down. Maybe he wasn't imagining things when he hoped that the two of them could make a relationship work.

"Aw, look Risa, they're still sleeping together!" A voice squealed softly from the doorway.

"I know Arisa, too bad we have to wake them up before Spirit gets up here," Another voice, Risa from the sounds of things, replied and moved over to the bed.

"Don't bother," Soul replied and finally opened his eyes, leveling his red eyes at the two females he now recognized as their nurses, "We're both awake now, right Maka?"

"Right!" Maka squeaked from where her face was buried in Soul's chest.

"You know, we were rushing in here last night to see what the commotion was when we heard the screaming," Risa started.

"But by the time we got here we saw that you were handling everything just fine so we left you two alone. You looked like you were enjoying each other's company," Arisa finished with a small smirk. Soul felt Maka bury her face even deeper into his chest as she groaned, prompting him to chuckle.

"Papa is on his way up?" Maka asked in a meek voice, "Then we better separate-"

"Naw," Soul said and pulled Maka closer, "I'm pretty comfortable like this."

"Soul," Maka said threateningly.

"Right, right, I'm getting up," Soul grumbled and moved out of Maka's bed, already missing the warmth she provided.

"MAKAAAAAAA!" A red-haired blur streaked into the room and attempted to jump onto Maka before being pulled back by the collar by Stein.

"Sorry about the commotion he causes everywhere he goes," Stein apologized, not sounding very sorry though.

"I'm used to it by now Professor," Maka said. As Spirit straightened and pulled out a small notebook Maka started telling the two older males what had happened in the warehouse, Soul occasionally adding something. Soon the entire story had been told and Maka was leaning back in the bed, looking pale and shaky after having to relive the experience from the warehouse.

"It's probably best if you two go for now, she looks worn out," Soul said and Stein nodded his agreement and pulled Spirit from the room as the man sobbed. Not too long after they left the rest of their friends arrived with good news.

"You're being released!" Patty sing-songed as she skipped into the room, "In a few hours too! The nice nurses said that you were just in for observation overnight but you can leave today!"

"Really?" Soul looked up in surprise.

"Yes, as long as you both have a ride home and promise to take it easy, since you live together," Kid answered easily, "And we have more good news. Father has approved a new unit for major crimes like this one, he calls it Spartoi and it's made of younger officers. All of us are to be a part of it, as well as Killik and the midgets and four new recruits to the Academy: Ox Ford, Kim Diehl, Jacqueline Dupre, and Harvar Éclair. He wants us to meet up as soon as we're all back on our feet, and we'll go on duty as soon as everyone is completely healed. We've each been assigned partners, all of us with the person we were with during our impromptu raid, Kim and Jacqueline, Ox and Harvar, and Killik and the midgets."

"That's awesome!" Maka smiled happily. The group chatted for a few hours until the nurses finally came along with their discharge papers, Maka and Soul signing them as fast as they could.

"We brought you some clothes to go home in too," Patty jumped up as if suddenly remembering, "We couldn't find a big enough t-shirt for you Maka that wouldn't be too tight on your bandages so we brought you one of Soul's."

"That's fine, as long as I don't have to go home in scrubs or a hospital gown," Maka replied and walked over to the bathroom, "The thing that sucks though is that we have to wear these slings so that our stitches don't reopen." Making quick work of getting the hospital gown off and changing into the clothes the others had brought her. The shirt smelled like Soul- leather, cologne, and something indescribable other than being labeled as Soul- and she inhaled the scent to get rid of the hospital's smell of disinfectant. She emerged a few minutes later dressed in a pair of athletic shorts that showcased her impossibly long legs and one of Soul's smaller shirts that was slightly tucked in at the front of her shorts so that her shorts weren't covered by the shirt. Soul had to admit he _really_ like how Maka looked in his shirts, his mind wandering to her wearing nothing else but that shirt, before he shook that thoughts away and wiped under his nose to make sure there wasn't any blood leaking. Unfortunately Liz saw this and grinned deviously.

"Alright you two, let's get you home quick and get you settled in so you can rest up and start on the team sooner!" She said and led Maka to the door without waiting for Soul to follow.

* * *

The ride home was uneventful, although long because of traffic. About five minutes from home Maka fell asleep on Soul's good shoulder and it took all of his self-control to not react differently than normal. He woke her up and held her around the waist to help her up the steps in her half-asleep state. The others quickly said goodbye and left the two of them sitting on the couch, Soul sitting and Maka laying down with her head on Soul's lap.

"Come on Maka, let's get to your room," Soul prodded her. She shook her head sleepily.

"Then you'll go and I'll have a nightmare," She turned her head towards Soul's torso and snuggled in a little bit. Soul pinked and ran a hand through his hair trying to steady himself. Maka opened an eye tiredly, observing him, "Please?"

"Fine," Soul gave in and relaxed against the couch, "Although we have some stuff we need to talk about Maka and we can't put it off too long."

"I know, now that you're not in charge of making sure Asura doesn't kill me you probably want me to move out," She closed her eyes, but Soul was able to catch a glimpse of hurt in her expression, "I understand completely."

"I don't think you do," Soul tilted her head up a little so when she opened her eyes she'd be looking at his face, "I rather you didn't move out Maka. I was thinking more along the lines of establishing what our relationship is."

"What?" Maka opened her eyes right away and looked at Soul in confusion. The sleepiness had disappeared from her features and she was wide awake now.

"I don't want you to move out. It would be lonely not waking up to your breakfasts or not having you to comment on my bad habits. Hell I'd probably even miss your Maka-Chops on a daily basis for something completely stupid."

"You want me to stay?"

"Yeah, and as uncool as this sounds I wouldn't mind staying with you at night to make sure the nightmares don't get too bad either. It's okay to ask me for help Maka, you're my friend and I'll always be there to help you." Soul looked over and saw Maka turning red before she quickly got up and walked over towards her bedroom, leaving a confused Soul on the couch.

"I'll try sleeping in my bed first though. Goodnight Soul!" Maka left and Soul realized what she was doing, she was brushing off the last half of that statement and Soul wanted to know why. He got up as fast as his shoulder allowed and reached Maka just as she was about to open her door. Before she had a chance to put her hand on the doorknob Soul grabbed her hand and turned her around.

"What the hell was that about?" Soul demanded. Maka slowly looked up into his eyes and was surprised by the hurt and confusion burning in his red eyes. He leaned into her personal space even more and Maka couldn't back up anymore, she was flat against her door, "I practically tell you that I like you way more than friends and you leave without a word? Why?" Although Soul's hand was grabbing her only free hand tightly, he was gentle enough to ensure that he wouldn't hurt her.

"I-I," Maka struggled for words. She had accepted her crush on Soul since he cornered her at the police station just yesterday (God it's only been a day since they raided the warehouse? It's seemed to be a lot longer than that) but she didn't have enough experience to tell whether he felt the same way. The fact that her brain, the one thing she relied on to make all of her observations and decisions, was currently starting to overheat with sensory and emotional overload with soul being so close and his scent was overpowering her thoughts didn't help anything at all. Swallowing past the lump in her throat she looked at Soul, "D-do you like me more than a friend?" His eyes flashed disbelief for a second before his trademark smirk snuck its way onto his face.

"Yeah, and I can prove it to you," Soul said and slowly leaned forward towards Maka, giving her plenty of time to decide whether or not she wanted this. He was surprised he'd lasted this long after seeing her in her gym uniform so long ago, especially with those damned miniskirts she insisted on wearing. However with her history with males he knew it was wise to wait and drop subtle hints, making sure her favorite ice cream was always on hand, friendly teasing, then eventually less subtle hints of his attraction to her such as compliments and lingering touches. God he sounded like a creeper thinking about this, and decided he'd had enough of waiting to see if she'd pull away and finally, gently brushed his lips against hers before pressing their lips together.

Maka's already short-circuiting brain finally stopped working the moment that Soul kissed her. Instead she sighed softly into the kiss and wound her good arm, now free from Soul's grip, around his neck while his hand settled on her waist. The kiss was sweet, not rough or demanding in any way whatsoever. Electricity crackled along her nerves as Soul deepened the kiss carefully, tracing her bottom lip with his tongue. She gasped at the new sensation and Soul made quick use of the distraction and his tongue slowly eased its way into her mouth.

The kiss went on for a very long time, and only stopped when Spirit began knocking on the door to their apartment. They looked at each other, smiling, before quietly sneaking into Soul's room, laying on the bed then falling asleep and ignoring the man at the door. Soul lay on his back, Maka's head on his chest, snuggling into his side and his arm around her waist. He couldn't wait to get up every day knowing that Maka was his and his alone, as cheesy and uncool as that sounded. Maka loved the fact that she could trust and even love this man, _her_ Soul, without doubt in her mind.

The next morning would be the first of the rest of their lives, and there wasn't anything, not serial killers or crazy philosophical killers or even Maka's pervy old man, that could stop that.

* * *

_It's done! Well mostly done, there is the matter of the epilogue to go, but it's mostly done. I'm am so sorry about the unforeseen delay in getting this chapter, but in my defense I wasn't happy about it either! To make up for it, I wrote and wrote this chapter even better than my first draft (I think anyway, I only had a bit of it to go off of) and eventually it turned into this 4 page, 5,000+ words beast. I hope you enjoyed it and please review to let me know if you'd be interested in stories from me in the future! It was amazing the support I got and I'd like to take a moment to thank all of my reviewers, especially my first reviewer_ TheWalkingGnome_, so to all of the following people _**THANK YOU!**

TheWalkingGnome, Dancing in Crimson, 15 fallen angel, CrazyWolfDevil, HelplessRomanticCookie, kaloobia, A2ID, Amber Masquerade, Robastar34, X the Reaper, newnewhearts, The Jade Empress, KHloverxcyn, FireHippie, Brunette Beauty13, guest reviewer Tbird2290, Arkangelsouls, guest reviewer I-am0blue-lava, and the other guest reviewers who all took the time to leave comments on what they thought of my writing.

Until next time,

- Charlotte


	13. Epilogue: 1 Year Later

_WAAH! It's the last chapter of the story: the epilogue! I won't waste any time right now, so I hope you enjoy this!_

* * *

_One year later…_

Maka cursed as she jumped over the short brick wall separating the suspect's house from the alleyway. Of course Black*Star had to yell about how his "awesome self" was going to take the suspect down when Maka had just convinced the guy to talk to her. Soul had been waiting outside in the front and Tsubaki used her skills to sneak to the back in case he made an escape attempt, _which he did_. She didn't understand how he thought he'd get away, even without knowing about Soul and Tsubaki. The moment he'd fled Black*Star chased him but the bastard was fast, so that led to Maka going around the side then jumping the wall to follow the suspect. Gopher was Noah's right-hand man in their smuggling operations and if they could bring him in then Spartoi could possibly find Noah's base of operations.

"Stop right there Gopher, you can't get out now!" Maka heard Soul yell in front of her and saw him level his gun at Gopher who skid to a stop. She followed suit and pulled out her gun and pointed it at the small man as well. Soul read him his Miranda Rights while cuffing him and Black*Star and Tsubaki ran up to the three of them.

"Man you guys get all the fun," Black*Star pouted as he put his gun back in its holster.

"You're the one who scared him idiot!" Maka fumed and Tsubaki hid a smile at the two fighting officers. Black*Star ruffled Maka's hair before she swatted his hand away, "Whatever, let's just get this guy into the station. With his and Noah's arrests that's the last of the Black Blood and Madness that Medusa and Arachne had distributed that we have to worry about being smuggled across the borders."

The ride to the station was short, and once there the four officers and their suspect turned into a new addition that was slightly smaller, but more updated than the rest of the precinct. There was writing on the ceiling above the door to this new addition, and in simple but large black letters 'Spartoi' was spelled out.

"Ah, I see you four managed to capture Gopher," Kid said from his desk, he looked beat up and still slightly underweight, but after the horrors he had to live through while Gopher and Noah held him captive would do that to anyone, "Liz, Patty, and I just brought in Noah. He's in interview room one so put Gopher in room two."

"You got it!" Black*Star grinned as he led the small man away, lecturing him on why he shouldn't mess with one of their teammates.

Maka stretched then looked at her watch, "Well why don't we let them cool their jets overnight and call it a day? I could use a shower and a couple hours of blissful unconsciousness before dealing with Gopher's hero-worship and Noah's psycho-babble."

"Agreed, Ox and Harvar have the night shift tonight with Jacqueline and Kim, so I'll stay until they get here, you and Soul go on and head home," Kid said and shooed the couple out of the office.

"Ah," Soul sighed happily, "We've both got the night off with nothing to do? I say-"

"If it's anything that requires more than eating more than should be possible for someone of my sized and cuddling up to you and sleeping don't even start," Maka said as they got on Soul's bike. The male groaned but complied and drove home quickly, both of them hurrying up to the apartment and Maka putting a pot of water on the stove to boil, "I'll make Mac-&- Cheese for us, how's that sound?"

"Delicious!" Soul yelled from the bathroom. Once he got out of the shower Maka got in and he finished making the food. Once it was done they each loaded up a plate and got comfortable on the couch, Maka leaning against Soul with a smile, "You know what tomorrow is, right?"

"Of course, it's Friday," Maka said innocently before grinning, "And our one year anniversary too. Anything in particular you want?"

"A kiss for right now would do," Soul smirked, "Although maybe after we finish eating."

"…"

"What?"

"Nothing," Maka said, rolling her eyes, and went back to eating her food. Once they were both finished they slipped into bed where Maka curled up and rested her head on Soul's chest. He wound an arm around her waist and ran his fingers through her hair before pulling a small box out from under his pillow. He turned it over in one hand before opening it and looking at it.

"Hey Maka, you still awake?" Soul asked.

"Mmmm, now I am," She growled at him.

"I was wondering… I know you said you don't want to make any of the mistakes your parents did, but… y'know since we're not you parents and you're the only person I've ever loved like this," Soul paused as Maka finally seemed to register where this was going and she sat up and looked at him with wide, green eyes that glanced down at the open box then back at him, "Will you marry me?"

"Soul," Maka murmured, her eyes watering, and Soul second guessed himself with a mental curse, "Of course I will!"

"Really?" God his blush was uncool, but Maka founded it adorable that he could blush in front of her.

"Yes!" Maka kissed him without any warning then pulled away, "Yes of course! You're nothing like my father, or like the cheating men we see in our line of work. I love you and I would be happy to marry you!"

"Cool," Soul smirked, taking the ring out and sliding it onto Maka's finger then set the box on the bedside table. He had been worried, he was twenty-three and Maka was twenty, and he thought she wouldn't want to get married young like her parents. He felt really uncool right now, but he supposed that proposing could do that to a guy, "Maka Eater."

Maka wrinkled her nose, "That sounds weird."

"Glad we're in agreement of that," Soul agreed.

"Just go to sleep, we can decide on last names another day," Maka said and she snuggled back down against Soul's chest. He nodded and closed his eyes once more, smiling even as they fell asleep.

The next day the girl of the precinct squealed with Maka over her engagement ring, which came in handy when she had to punch Gopher for attempting to escape, and Soul got slaps on the backs and murderous glares from a certain red-headed father. Spartoi and few of their friends from the precinct went out for drinks (Maka was glad she couldn't legally drink when she saw how her friends and fiancée acted when drunk) to celebrate the occasion. They were all happy, the past was the past and already they were making a new future for themselves one step at a time, glad to be moving on.

_End_

* * *

_And that's the official wrap. I just wanted to include the Book of Eibon form the manga in here somehow, and so it went into the epilogue to show the team working together sorta… really I just wanted to have Soul propose to Maka in a totally uncool way. Let me know if you think this works well or if I should scrap it and just end the story with the last chapter! Once more thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story, it really means a lot to me and all other writers._


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